A 

A 

'  r- 

=^^^=     '      I 

0 

^=^=°      I 

0 

X      1 

1 

:?     1 

1 

o     1 

6 

1 

^^^=o 

> 

MM"M™'!  f—      I 

0 

33       I 

2 

33       I 

0 

^^^=  ^      I 

1 

?:s 


Glimpses 

OF 

Sunshine  aod  shade 

IN    THE 

Far  north 

OR 

MY  TRAVELS  IN  THE  LfJND 

OF  THE 

MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


BY 

LULU  ALICE  CRAIG 


CINCINNATI, 

THE  EDITOR  PUBLISHING  CO. 

—1900.- 


(  OPTBtOHTKD 

TlllM  Kimoi;  PUBLISHING  in 

1900 


0° 

-7 


2    GLIMPSES  OF  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 
I  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH. 


2745, 


CONTENTS 


The  Start      - 

From  Seattle  to  Dyea      - 

Our  Stay  in  Dyea  and  Sheep's  Camp  - 

Crossing  the  Chilcoot       - 

Our  Stay  in  Lindcrmann  - 

Our  Trip  Down  the  Chain  of  Rivers  and  Lakes 

My  First  Impression  of  Dawson  City 

An  Arctic  Winter  - 

The  Spring  - 

Dawson  City       - 

The  Journey  to  the  Mouth  of  the  Yukon 

The  Fifteen  Days  Anchored  on  Behring  Sea 

From  St.  Michael  to  Dutch  Harbor    - 

The  Ocean  Voyage  - 


1 

4 

14 

23 

30 

12 

60 

66 

79 

90 

99 

106 

113 

120 


PREFACE. 


I  have  endeavored  within  this  book  to  describe 
very  accurately  my  travels  to  and  from  the  Northland, 
as  well  as  my  stay  in  Dawson  City,  where  I  sojourned 
one  year. 

In  January  of  '98  I  obtained  a  leave  of  absence  from 
the  School  Board  of  Saint  Joseph,  Missouri,  to  go  into 
the  Klondyke  in  company  with  my  brother  and  his 
family. 

There  were  only  four  of  us — Morte  H.  Craig,  of 
Denver,  Colorado,  his  wife  and  little  daughter,  Emily, 
who  was  only  nine  years  of  age,  and  myself ;  there  were 
a  number  of  friends  who  went  into  the  country  at  the 
same  time. 

We  were  all  in  comparatively  good  health  during 
the  entire  time,  though  the  climate  did  not  seem  to  agree 
with  Mrs.  Craig  as  it  did  with  the  rest  of  us.  Little 
Emily  gained  in  flesh  and  strength,  and  was  delighted 
with  the  free  open  life  she  led. 

I  took  the  trip  at  the  suggestion  of  my  mother,  for 
an  outing  that  would  do  me  double  service — giving  me  a 
rest  from  my  school  labors  and  widening  my  knowledge 
of  the  North  of  which  I, like  most  others,  had  known  but 
little  previously. 


/•////M'    / 

To  most  every  one  thejourney  seemed  long  and  peri- 

and  devoid  of  the    pleasure  contingent  to    travel. 

While  the  former  was  true  in  a  measure,  the  Latter  was 

not,  for  much  delight  was  experienced,  though  dilferent 

from  the  usual  conventionalized  travel. 

In  these  pages  I  shall  try  and  relate  every  phase  of 
the  lif«-  I  led,  giving  an  account  of  the  trials  and  hard- 
ships, a>  well  astheintenei   |        -    re  and  interesting  epi- 

— though  I  encountered  few  of  the  first  named,  while 

many  of  the  second  I  daily    enjoyed. 

It  niu-t  be  borne  in  mind,  however,    that  this   book 

oannol  be  as  replete  with    descriptions    of   wild  experi- 

•  thrilling  narratives  as  it  might  otherwise  have 

been  had  my  journey  been  taken  in  the  year  prior  to  my 

departure. 

And  not  BO  many  pages  will  be  devoted  to  mining 
lore  and  the  accumulation  of  gold,  or  the  misfortune   of 

Obtaining  it.  as  to  the  geographical  descriptions  of 
the  trip,  and  telling  of  the  great  pleasure  m  derived   from 

ing  nature,  in  a  land  that  is  favored  with  scenery 
which  is  classed  among  the  grandest  of  the  earth's  do- 
main. 

A-  I  write  this  little  book,  now  ■.nd  then  there  will 
ad  to  my  mind  of  sorrow,    sickness   and 

death,  of  which  there  have  been  so  many  in  that  far  land 
of  ice  ami  sn<>w,  where  a  number  of  strong,  stalwart 
men  icumbed  to  weakness — ofttinn  ith — 

brought  on  from  hard  work  and  exposure,  and  their 
forms  an    ••Lying  in  the  Klondyke  vale  to-night.*' 


PEE  FA  CE  ix 

In  giving  these  incidents,  the  pathos  of  it  all  may 
be  little  realized  by  the  readers  as  it  was  by  us  who  came 
in  daily  contact  with  them ;  no  more  may  the  pleasing 
experiences  be  really  felt,  yet  shall  I  try  to  so  clearly 
and  so  graphically  portray  to  you  these  pictures  of  de- 
light and  woe,  of  joy  and  sorrow,  that  with  the  aid  of 
your  imagination  you  may  have  a  rather  good  concep- 
tion of  it  all,  and  I  hope  I  may  succeed  in  this   attempt. 

The  trip  gave  me  a  wider  experience  and  deeper 
knowledge  than  almost  any  other  I  might  have  taken — 
at  least  I  came  in  touch  more  full}'  with  nature,  bereft 
of  all  art,  codes  and  conventionalities,  and  herein  I  tell 
of  these  various  scenes  and  happenings. 


(LuJlUslIXi^isuCu, 


f 


I'MII  t    n  -I  E   <   RAIG. 


Glimpses  of  Sunstyoe  and 
Sh)ade  ir)  t±)e  for  North. 


The  Start. 


THERE  are  many  beautiful  places  in  this  world, 
most  of  which  I  have  never  seen.  Indeed, 
prior  to  my  trip  north,  I  had  never  traveled 
except  in  the  United  States. 
But  from  reading  and  hearsay,  I  had  formed  some- 
thing of  an  idea  of  the  many  beauties  of  nature,  scat- 
tered here  and  there,  and  almost  everywhere,  as  the  All 
Wise  One  has  so  generously  and  so  equally  distributed 
them.  Yet  perhaps  nowhere  could  I  have  traveled,  per- 
haps no  where  could  I  have  looked  upon  grander  exhibi- 
tion of  God's  handiwork  than  I  did  traveling  to  the  land 
of  gold,  and  sojourning  in  that  far  away  country  of  ice 
and  cold. 

I  left  my  home  in  Saint  Joseph  January  twenty- 
seventh  and  after  four  days  of  pleasant  travel  reached 
Seattle,  where  we  spent  several  days  in  shopping  pre- 
paratory to  life  in  the  country  to  which  we  were  going. 
During  our  stay  in  Seattle  we  heard  nothing  talked 
of  but  the  Klondyke.  In  stores,  on  the  streets,  in  the 
corridors  of  the  hotels,  on  the  street  cars,  in  restaurants, 
and  everywhere  the  subject  seemed  all  absorbing  and 
inexhaustible. 

1 


81   VS///V/:  .1  WE  sua  /</: 

ttle    baa  received  a  great   benefit   from  the  im- 
mense And  of  gold  in  the  Klonkyke — it  baa  steadily  im- 
prov<  'I  and  commercial  lift-  baa  received  an  impetus  from 
the  very   birth   of   the    Klondyke   which    increased   its 
wealth   and   population.     It    is  a   very  nice  little  city, 
and,  a> i <!••  fn>m  the  annoyance  and  inconvenience  of  its 
pleasant,  beneficial  climate. 
I . :  i  k  *  -  Washington  is  B  pretty  sheet    of   witter   which 
-  much  pleasure  to  the  resident-  of   Seattle,   and   is 
the  pride  of  Seattleit<  -  •    1  as  an  attraction  to  its 

tourists.  Sixty  miles  south  of  Seattle  maybe  seen  Mt. 
Ranier  Lifting  it-  lofty  head  in  its  hoary  grandeur.  We 
engaged  passage  on  the  "Queen  of  the  Pacific"  a  large 
well  appointed  vessel — the  best  on  the  waters, 
though  we  did  not  derive  the  comfort  we  had  hoped  for, 
on  account  of  the  large  list  of  passengers  and  immense 
o  she  bore. 

There  were  nearly  one  thousand  passengers,  three 
hundred  dogs,  a  number  of  horses  and  donkeys  besides 
a  wry  large  amount  of  freight. 

We    were   fortunate   in  securing  the  choicest  of  the 
ind  after  all   the  preliminaries  of  stocking 
up    in    dry   good-,  groceries,  medicines,  et  cetera,  which 
.    in  taking  up  life  on  the  frontier,  we  sailed 
yea,   Alaska,  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  of  Feb- 
ruary, U 

There   was   such   an    immense   crowd    at   the  wharf 

:  was  difficult  to  push  one's  way.     Men  rushing  to 

and  fro  heavily  laden  with  freight;    and   such  a  hub-bub 

-     i  veritable  Babel  it  seemed,  as  friendly  adieus 

d    with    the    orders  of  men  to  those  in  their 

charge,  and  rain  only  added  aggravation  to  the  scene. 

At  -I,,  time  we  found  ours  b  mperiled  between 
a    kicking  y    and    barking    dogs,    surrounded    by 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  3 

people,  many  of  whose  faces  were  angry  and  disturbed 
at  the  jostling  of  this  motley  throng,  while  we  on  the 
contrary  were  much  amused  and  could  not  repress  the 
merriment  thus  provoked.  But  indeed  our  humorous 
feelings  were  not  the  only  emotional  ones  I  assure  you, 
for  we  were  fearful  that  one  of  us  would  fall  a  victim  to 
either  the  dogs  or  the  donkey.  Yet  our  humor  predomi- 
nated, and  so  it  was  throughout  the  trip;  though  terribly 
homesick  and  irrepressibly  sad  at  times,  annoyed  by 
some  worries,  and  burdened  by  a  few  trials,  imperiled 
on  both  land  and  sea,  still  the  beautiful  scenery  the 
novel  life,  the  pleasant  episodes,  and  the  interesting 
people  whom  we  met,  all  tended  to  make  us  enj'03-  the 
wonderful  trip  into  the  interior  of  Alaska. 

After  much  patience  we  were  glad  to  at  last  reach 
our  state-rooms  laden  with  the  fruit  and  china  and  sun- 
dry other  parcels  we  feared  to  trust  to  the  luggage,  as 
little  care  could  be  given  to  so  large  an  amount  of  cargo. 

As  the  ship  loosened  her  moorings,  and  we  again 
and  again  waved  adieus  to  our  friends,  I  realized 
that  we  were  turning  our  backs  upon  civilization  and 
leaving  behind  those  nearest  and  dearest;  that  we  were 
going  into  an  almost  unknown,  untried  country,  I  can- 
not describe  the  loneliness  that  crept  over  me  and  which 
was  doubtless  increased  by  the  dark,  dreary  day  and 
drizzling  rain.  Turning,  I  left  the  deck  and  went  into 
the  salon  to  read  the  dear,  home  letters,  which  were 
handed  to  me  just  as  I  left  the  hotel,  and  which  would 
be  the  last  news  from  home  for  some  time. 

After  reading  my  letters  I  soon  became  interested 
in  the  journey  and  watching  the  people  on  board  the 
ship.  Ere  long  my  spirits  regained  their  natural  buoy- 
ancy, and  the  gloomy,  sad  feelings  were  lost  in  the  in- 
tense interest  I  had  in  this  grand  and  wonderful  trip  to 
the  interior  of  Alaska. 


Frorr)  Seattle  to  Dyea 


I  regret  that  the  great  pleasure  I  had  anticipated  of 
viewing  the  niuch-talked-of  scenery  was  marred  by 
the  clouds,  and  foggy  weather  that  attended  us  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  our  voyage.  It  snowed  or 
rained  much  of  the  time  and  the  sun  shone  but  little. 
Ytt  during  the  short  periods  of  sunshine,  remarkably 
beautiful  scenery  was  disclosed  to  our  eyes  and  we  were 
delighted  with  the  splendid  views.  Had  we  had  bright 
weather,  one  continual  panorama  of  beautiful  scenery 
would  have  been  unfolded  to  our  eyes  throughout  the 
entire  distance. 

This  route,  which  is  a  distance  of  over  a  thousand 
miles,  is  almost  entirely  through  narrow  channels  with 
high  mountains  on  either  side,  which  prevent  the  open 
ocean  from  reaching  the  mariner  and  is  called  "The  Inland 
Voyage."  And  were  it  not  for  an  occasional  glimpse  of 
the  main  waters  of  the  Pacific,  as  we  passed  from  the 
shelter  of  one  island  behind  the  high  rocky  shores  of 
another,  one  would  not  realize  that  he  was  having  an 
•  which  is  usually  attended  by  some  discom- 
fort- -iekness. 

well  named  "The  Tourist's  Route"  and  is  un- 
doubtedly the  most  popular  one  into  the  interior  of 
Ala-ka. 

A  •  >ii pie  of  hours'  sailing  brought  us  to  Tacoma,  a 
city  of  forty  thousand  inhabitants  and  second  in  size 
and  importance  in  the  State  of  Washington.  From  here 
Mt.  Banier  may  again  be  seen  only  thirty  miles  distant. 

I 


iy  THE  FAR  NORTH  5 

In  Tacoma  I  am  told  it  is  never  referred  to  as  Mt.  Ranier 
but  as  Mt.  Tacoma.  From  this  one  can  readily  see  the 
rivalry  which  exists  between  the  two  cities  of  Puget 
Sound. 

Soon  again  we  were  steaming  along  and  the  next 
morning  we  reached  Victoria  where  we  stopped  for  an 
hour  or  more  and  were  given  an  opportunity  to  see  an 
English  City,  as  its  inhabitants  and  buildings  with  their 
environments  plainly  stamped  it. 

When  we  were  again  under  sail  we  felt  that  we 
were  really  started  on  our  journey  to  Alaska. 

Our  progress  was  somewhat  impeded  by  the  dense 
fog,  every  now  and  then  we  would  stop,  and  at  times  the 
foghorn  could  be  heard  continually  blowing  for  some 
minutes,  especially  so  during  some  of  the  nights.  Dis- 
mal, indeed,  it  sounded  when  we  realized  that  we  were 
anchored  out  at  sea,  enveloped  in  an  awful  darkness, 
and  lonely  and  weird  were  its  echoes,  as  they  were 
clearly  brought  back  to  us. 

Though  we  had  the  pleasure  of  the  sun  shining 
brightly  but  little,  yet  the  more  was  it  appreciated  when 
it  came. 

I  will  quote  one  page  from  my  diary  and  so  more 
clearly  impress  you  with  the  pleasure  I  enjoyed  :  "What 
a  fascinating  picture  to  stand  on  deck  and  watch  the 
dashing,  foamy  waves  sparkle  and  gleam  in  the  bright 
sunshine,  the  flying  of  the  graceful  sea  gulls  and  the 
ducking  of  the  little  water-quails  ever  and  anon,  as  they 
skim  over  the  water;  the  mountains  dimly  visible  in  the 
distance  through  the  low  overhanging  clouds.  To  these 
pleasures  of  eight  are  added  that  charmingly  delightful 
feeling  which  steals  over  one's  senses  as  the  steamship 
is  propelled  so  smoothly  over  the  quiet  waters.  Oh! 
how  the  heart  wells  with  reverence   and  homage  toward 


8XTN8H1  \  /:  AND  sua  DE 

the  One  who  holdeth  the  seas  in  His  hands  as  you  Btand 
full  of  admiration  and  gaze  in  rapture  upon  nature  un- 
der Buch  pleased  conditions." 

( )n  tlic  morning  of  February  seventh  we  saw  a  school 
of  whales  at  a  distance  and  there  wen-  also  a  number  of 
porpoises  quite  near,  racing  with  our  ship. 

Our  next  day  was  the  most  eventful  one  of  our  voy- 
Almut  live  p.  in.  in  passing  through  the  narrows, 
inded  on  a  bar  and  so  sudden  were  we 
thrown  upon  tin-  mountain  Bide  that  our  ship  began  to 
List.  Tli"  rudder  unfortunately  broke  and  the  tide 
ebbed,  s<»  the  ship  continued  to  list  until  we  stood  at  an 
angle  of  forty-two  degrees. 

All   this    trouble  was  undoubtedly  due  to  the   fact 
that  our  captain,   though   an  ellieient  one  on  a  smaller 
..  had  never  carried  so  large  a  vessel  through  these 
troublesome  narrows. 

So  here  we  were  stationed  from  five  p.  m.  to  twelve 
at  night,  seven  hours  of  weary  waiting  during  a  snow 
storm.  So  much  were  we  on  the  incline  that  the  incom- 
ing tide  brought  in  three  feet  of  water,  though  it  also 
aided  the  captain  very  materially  in  righting  the  ship. 
The  steering  apparatus  having  been  repaired,  we  were 
backed  nut  of  these  dangerous  narrows  into  the  open  sea, 
and  Boon  were  again  >ailing  smoothly. 

a  hat  might  have  turned  out  very  seriously  end- 
ed all  right  but  we  were  in  a  great  deal  of  danger.  The 
Bhip  came  very  nearly  turning  over.  All  life  boats  were 
lowered.  Had  the  ship  been  thrown  over  many  would 
h.ive  been  Baved,  but  it  is  hardly  likely  that  nearly  one 
thousand  could  all  have  been  saved,  the  night  being  so 
dark  and  stormy. 

While  we  were  bo  dangerously   situated  another  ac- 
•    occurred — the  linen    room   caught    fire,  but    the 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  7 

matter  was  wisely  kept  quiet,  many  not  knowing  of  it 
cimtil  the  next  day  and  so  we  were  saved  a  panic  which 
probably  would  have  occurred  had  the  cry  "Ship  on 
fire"  been  heard. 

We  who  were  in  the  salon  had  a  great  deal  of  fun 
watching  those  who  would  move  about  and  who  were  one 
after  another  precipitated  to  the  floor.  Many  a  laugh 
we  had  and  much  merriment  was  enjoyed  as  we  would 
see  one  start  to  help  another  only  to  fall  himself,  and 
several  times  there  were  three  or  four  on  the  floor  to- 
gether struggling  to  get  on  their  feet. 

One  old  lady  who  was  quite  large  and  must  have 
been  near  sixty-five  years  of  age,  was  quite  amusing. 
She  would  insist  upon  moving  about,  changing  her  seat 
from  one  place  to  another,  probably  from  a  feeling 
of  restlessness  occasioned  by  the  long  period  of  waiting. 

At  one  time  she  started  to  rise  several  times,  but  in- 
effectually. At  last  with  an  unusual  effort,  she  got 
upon  her  feet  and  with  an  awful  crash  she  came  down  to 
the  floor.  Had  it  hurt  her  we  would  have  quelled  the 
jollity  that  arose,  but  she  laughed  with  the  rest  of  us. 
A  gentleman  arose  to  assist  her  but  quickly  found  him- 
self stretched  upon  the  floor  by  her  side.  Another 
one  tried  with  the  same  result,  but  by  repeated 
efforts  the  gentlemen  regained  their  footing  and  at  last 
succeeded  in  getting  her  seated,  but  just  as  they  let  her 
go,  she  again  slipped  down  and  this  time  refused  to  be 
assisted,  and  wisely  remained  on  the  floor  amidst  much 
laughter  in  which  she  merrily  joined. 

Another  most  amusing  thing  was  the  comical 
actions  of  a  little  Jewess  who  was  very  anxious  to  cater 
to  the  inner  man  of  her  small  son,  as  well  as  to  herself. 
She  let  herself  carefully  down  from  her  seat  to  the  floor 
and  then  propelled  herself  along  by  crawling  a  few  feet, 


s  8UNBHINM    .IA  D  SHADE 

then  by  sort  of  Bliding  <>r  pushing  herself  by  the  aid  of 
her  hands  until  she  reached  the  railing  from  where  she 
could  peer  down  into  the  dining  hall.  In  the  meantime 
■he  bad  senl  her  boy,  Jacob,  down  to  one  of  the  waiters. 
Jacob  had  quite  a  time  reaching  him,  pushing  his  way 
through  the  crowd  that  sat  on  the  floor  and  steps,  and 
falling,  he  landed  in  some  woman's  lap,  who  could  not 
Bee  the  Joke  or  why  the  others  laughed.  At  last  little 
Jacob  reached  one  of  the  waiters  to  whom  he  was  sent 
on  the  all  important  errand  of  getting  two  sandwiches, 
hut  the  waiter  refused  to  take  any  notice  of  the  child; 
whereupon  the  little  mother  began  to  make  frantic 
efforts  in  her  broken  English  to  be  heard  above  the  din 
of  many  voices  and  much  laughter,  and  at  last  the  wait- 
er was  compelled  to  pay  attention  to  her  wild  gesticula- 
tions and  loud  imprecations.  And  finally  she  was 
pleased  to  see  her  boy  given  two  sandwiches,  one  of 
Which  lie  immediately  began  to  eat,  the  other  he  careful- 
ly held,  again  making  an  effort  to  press  his  wray 
through  and  reach  his  mother,  which  he  succeeded 
in  doing  and  gave  her  the  little  lunch   he  had  procured. 

Many  other  amusing  incidents  might  be  related 
to  show  how  much  fun  we  on  the  inside  had.  But  not 
so  with  those  on  the  outside,  many   of  whom  really  suf- 

I  with  the  cold  and  wetting  they  got,  beside  being 
in  much  more  terror  than  we  were,  for  they  realized 
their  danger  so  much  more. 

Our  dinner  which  should  have  been  served  at  five  p. 
in.,  we  hastily  partook  of  at  one  a.  m.,  after  which 
we  hurried  to  our  state  rooms,  where  we  soon  slept,  and 
that  which  might  have  been  a  most  thrilling  night,  long 
to  he  remembered,  passed  away  without  ending  ser- 
sly. 

"f  the  most  interesting  places  on  this  route  is 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  9 

Ft.  Wrangle,  a  picturesque  settlement,  where  there  are  a 
number  of  Indians  and  a  few  white  people,  though  not 
so  many  as  formerly  in  the  early  days  of  the  great  gold 
strikes  in  Alaska. 

The  place  was  named  "Wrangle  for  Baron  Wrangle, 
a  Russian  who  was  Governor  in  1831.  The  Indians 
have  a  number  of  curios  to  show  the  tourist,  which  they 
make.  Then  here  are  erected  the  totem  poles  which  are 
worshipped  by  the  Indians. 

The  Indians  make  a  spoon  of  native  silver  and  carve 
upon  it  the  image  of  the  totem  poles ;  they  do  this  in 
your  presence,  while  you  wait  if  you  have  time  to  spare. 

Of  the  different  confines  of  waters,  which  we  passed 
through  the  two  most  dreaded  were  Seymour  and 
Wrankle  Narrows — the  former  are  the  most  dangerous — 
yet  the  ledges  of  rock  and  boulders  that  extend  across 
the  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  that  Wrangle  Narrows 
measure,  make  the  steering  of  a  vessel  successfully  be- 
tween tides,  through  this  narrow  confine  of  water,  much 
to  be  admired ;  even  though  the  surging  of  the  waters 
are  not  so  fierce  as  in  Seymour  Narrows,  where  the  waters 
are  greatly  feared,  particularly  at  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
tide.  The  current  is  so  strong  and  masterful  that 
the  strongest  of  ships  are  lost  control  of  and  sink  under- 
neath the  waves  of  these  tempestuous  waters. 

In  1875  one  of  the  United  States  steamers  was 
wrecked  here.  She  was  caught  in  the  maelstrom  of 
waters  and  dashed  hither  and  thither  in  the  wild  nar- 
rows, but  at  last  reached  Vancouver  Island  safely, 
where  the  officers  and  crew  were  landed,  though  the  ship 
was  caught  into  the  whirlpool  again  and  went  down. 
Many  other  vessels  have  been  wrecked  in  these   narrows. 

Shortly  after  passing  through  Seymour  Narrows 
the  most  beautiful  scenery  is  again  seen.     As  we  passed 


in  SUNSHINE  .1  \  l>  SHA  DE 

Queen  Charlotte  Sound  tin-  heavy  swells  of  the  ocean 
felt,  and  u  few  were  inconvenienced  quite  a  little  for 
about  an  hour  with  nausea  attending  sea-sickness. 

A  little  farther  on,  the  waters  lead  through  a  pic- 
ture-fine route  winding  here  and  there  through  narrows 
with  fir-covered  mountains  rising  high  on  either  side, 
mirrored  in  the  waters  underneath.  So  winding  and  in- 
tricate is  this  channel  that  some  have  named  it  "The 
Mv-in     V  These    beauties   of  nature    extend    all 

along  the  route. 

Huton  the  dark  nights  when  the  dense  fog  enveloped 
as,  and  continually  the  dismal  sound  of  the  fog-horn 
could  be  heard,  when  we  were  passing  through  narrows 
where  ofl  before  other  ships  had  gone  down,  one  needed 
faith  in  the  One  above  to  be  at  rest  and  enjoy  slumber. 
As  the  day  waned  and  twilight  deepened,  I  felt  thank- 
ful that  I  trusted  in  Him  who   "doeth  all  things  well." 

Shortly  before  you  come  to  Juneau  several  glaciers 
may  he  Been  as  they  wind  down  the  mountains,  and  they 
Beem  what  they  really  are,  frozen  rivers  winding  down 
the  mountain  side. 

Within  two  miles  of  Juneau  are  the  famous  Tread- 
well  Mines,  the  largest  in  the  world.  Columns  of  dense 
smoke  could  be  seen  arising  from  these  great  works, 
surrounding  which  are  mountains,  grown  white  with 
the  timber  bleached  under  the  poisonous  smoke  that 
•n  the  burning  of  that  ore,  which  cannot  be 
separated  from  the  gold  by  batteries.  The  heavy,  moist 
atmosphere  will  not  allow  this  smoke  to  rise,  but  thus 
crowds  it  down,  causing  it  to  become  very  dense  and 
more  powerful  to  bleach  the  timber  along  the  base  and 
pf  the   mountain. 

It  is  near  here  that  the  steamers  have  two  ways 
from  which  to  choose,  one  called  the  Chilcoot,  the  other 


IJV  THE  FAR  JVOBTH  11 

Chilcat.  The  former  leads  to  the  head  waters  of  the 
Yukon  and  is  the  one  we  took,  while  the  latter  bears 
you  to  Chilcat,  a  small  settlement  from  the  left  of  which 
is  the  Dalton  Route,  a  way  by  which  the  Yukon  maybe 
reached  without  the  ascent  of  very  high  mountains,  the 
inclines  all  being  gradual. 

Ic  is  somewhere  within  this  region  that  the  existence 
of  the  silent  city  is  said  to  be,  and  if  there  is  a  reality 
in  it  all,  it  is  thought  to  be  a  mirage  of  a  place  in  Eng- 
land, which  is  claimed  to  be  Bristol,  several  thousand 
miles  away. 

We  arrived  in  Juneau  at  one  a.  m.  February  9th 
where  we  remained  until  morning.  We  arose  very  early 
and  went  on  shore  ere  it  was  daylight,  and  found  the 
place  well  lighted.  Juneau,  in  a  commercial  or  mining 
sense,  is  a  typical  mining  camp,  but  in  the  beauty  of  its 
location  outshines  most  others.  Right  in  the  midst  of 
mountains,  great  boulders  form  its  background  and 
overhang  this  little  hamlet  which  gives  it  a  very 
picturesque  appearance.  The  evils  of  life  are  said  to 
run  riot  here  much  the  same  as  in  all  mining  towns. 
Later  we  found  Skagway  and  Dyea  the  same  sort  of 
places,  only  that  Juneau  was  favored  with  so  much  more 
of  the  beauty  of  nature.  Yet  the  scenery  of  Juneau  is 
wierd  withal,  though  beautiful.  In  fact  all  the  scenery 
of  Alaska  and  the  North  West  Territory  has  something 
of  this  wild  weirdness ;  especially  does  this  seem  to  be 
the  case  in  winter,  when  the  mountains  are  robed  in 
their  pure,  cold  mantle  of  snowy  whiteness.  Summer 
with  her  becoming  garb  of  green,  her  running  waters 
with  their  swimming  fish,  her  gay,  bright  flowers  and 
singing  birds,  seems  to  chase  away  this  weirdness;  and 
the  awe  of  reverence  that  one  has  for  great  and  majestic 
mountains,  rising  in  their  icy  grandeur  in  the  cold  win- 


1  a  6  I  N  8  //  /  W  E    .  I  A'  /;  £  //  A  BE 

tvee  way  to  a  warmer,  ^ntler  feeling  of  admiration, 
that  developes  Into  a  positive  love  for  nature  under  the 

of  the  bright  sun,  which  shines  so  grandly  in  a  sky 

i-    beautifully    colored    and   delicately   tinted    as    can 

inywhere.      (irander    sunsets   cannot   be    im- 

agined    than    those    seen    en    route     from     Seattle    to 

.  and  others  all  along  the  wny  down  the  chain  of 
rivers  and  lakes  until  it  seemed  to  me  the  climax  was 
reached  in  Dawson  this  spring,  when  upon  two  evenings 
in  particular  we  were  awed  into  an  admiring  silence  by 
the  must  beautiful  ones  I  had  ever  seen,  of  which  I  will 
write  later. 

Our  voyage  lasted  between  five  and  six  days  and  at 
Ave  p.  m.  on  February  ninth  we  arrived  at  Skagway 
alter  a  rather  fair  sail,  though  a  somewhat  perilous  one, 
considering  the  listing  of  the  ship,  the  fire  in  the  linen 
room,  and  the  dense  fog  with  which  we  were  enveloped 

rat  portion  of  the  the  time. 

We  remained  on  board  the  "Queen"  until  two  p.  m. 

the  following  day  awaiting  a  suitable  vessel  in  which  to 

x.n  t"  Dyea,   a-  the  wind  was  too   swift   and   the 

Waves  too  strong  to  allow  the  large  "Queen"  to  land   in 

the  I  >yea  Bay. 

We  were  conveyed  over  to  Dyea  in  a  little  tug  a  part 
of  the  way,  th.  ii  transferred  to  a  smaller  skitf.  In  get- 
ting into  tht>  tui,'  we  had  to  descend  a  very  steep  ladder 
by  :  I  mce  of  tin-  men. 

Prom  this  time  on  we  saw  a  great  many  men  and 
few  women.  Day  after  day  we  were  constantly 
thrown  with  men  of  all  nationalities  and  all  classes — 
men  of  all  professions  and  of  a!!  trades — men  of  culture 
and  education,  a-  well  a-  those  of  the  ignorant,  unre- 
fined  class* — men  of  baser  natures,  whose  faces  only 
lainly  told  the  tale  of  their  evil  lives.     Yet  by  one 


IN  TEE  FAR  NORTH  13 

and  all  were  we  most  courteously  treated  and  to  all 
with  whom  we  found  it  necessary  to  mingle,  did  we 
endeavor  to  give  the  kindly  greeting  that  good  breeding 
would  always  urge  one  to  do,  no  matter  to  what  class  or 
station  of  life  he  might  belong. 

It  is  this  interchange  of  the  graces  within  us,  this 
flow  of  human  sympathy,  surging  from  heart  to  heart, 
that  forms  a  part  of  the  broadening  of  one's  nature, 
which  comes  more  from  travel  than  from  any  other  con- 
dition of  life. 

One  loses  one's  identity,  as  it  were,  in  traveling, 
and  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land  often  finds  himself 
yielding  to  the  gentler,  softer  impulses  within  him,  and 
he  reaches  out  a  hand  to  aid  his  brother  or  give  a  sym- 
pathizing word  more  often  than  when  settled  at  home, 
busily  going  through  the  daily  routine  of  life  whether 
pleasures  or  duties.  But  to  resume  my  narrative.  I  will 
in  the  next  chapter  tell  of  the  days  spent  in  Dyea. 


Our  Stay  iQ  Dyeaar>d  Sheep's  Camp. 


WE  remained  ;it  Dyea  nearly  six  days  awaiting 
our  Luggage  ami  freight,  where  we  had  com- 
fortable  quarters  in  one  of  the  hotels,  and 
very  good  ni>;iU. 
The  freight  quarters  at  Dyea,  which  were  situated 
ri^ht  on  the  beach  were  very  crowded  and  densely 
packed.  The  luggage  was  piled  high  into  the  air  and 
there  was  much  scrambling  after  one's  effects.  Keen 
hunting  and  some  hard  physical  labor  had  to  be  done  ere 
the  men  could  obtain  their  bags.  Each  of  our  party  had 
a  large  oanvas  bag  for  our  personal  clothing,  beside 
which  we  took  in  just  one  trunk  that  carried  all  of  our 
best  things.  Through  the  advice  of  others  we  took  in  a 
a  great  deal  more  and  heavier  clothing  than  we  had  need 
of.  The  men  of  course  found  it  necessary  to  be  more 
heavily  clad  and  more  warmly  wrapped,  as  they  were  out 
for  hours  working  hard  in  various  ways.  But  during  the 
entire  winter  I  seldom  needed  to  be  dressed  far  from  my 
usual  custom,  though  I  walked  out  every  day.  The 
greatest  difference  in  our  dress  was  the  flannels  and  foot- 
wear.  I  wore  the  heaviest  of  jersey  for  the  former  and 
German  Books  and  moccasins  were  required  over  the  or- 
dinary hose  for  the  latter,  during  the  coldest  weather. 

The  six  days  that  we  spent  at  Dyea  were  novel  ones 
indeed,  and  muoh  enjoyed,  though  we  were  somewhat 
Impatient  to  move  on.  Dyea  was  an  example  of  what 
might  be  called  a  mush-room  town,  so  quickly  had  it 
sprung  into  existence.     We  overheard  some    talk    about 

14 


IN   THE  FAR  NOBTH  15 

the  wickedness  of  the  place — that  one  could  scarcely  step 
out  upon  the  street  without  hearing  an  oath.  In  fact, 
the  minister  made  a  similar  statement  in  his  pulpit  the 
Sunday  morning  that  I  attended  services  in  the  humble, 
neat  house  of  worship.  Yet  we  ourselves  heard  no  oaths 
in  the  streets  of  Dyea,  and  in  this  we  were  particularly 
fortunate  during  our  entire  trip,  and  heard  very  little 
coarse  language  used. 

In  our  walks  through  Dyea  we  saw  some  Indians, 
Malamute  and  Huskey  dog  teams,  and  other  interesting 
sights  of  which  Mrs.  Craig  took  pictures  with  the  small 
kodak  she  brought. 

The  United  States  soldiers  sent  in  by  Congress  were 
encamped  here  at  this  time.  Here  for  the  first  time  we 
saw  men  make  beasts  of  burden  of  themselves,  and 
strange  it  seemed  to  see  great  heavy  packs  strapped  up- 
on their  backs,  heavier  and  more  bulky  ones  placed 
upon  one.  of  the  Yukon  sleds,  until  it  required  every 
nerve  strained,  every  bit  of  strength  to  move  it. 

The  trail  over  the  Chilcoot  starts  at  the  point  where 
the  Dyea  waters  empty  into  the  sea  and  follows  it  very 
closely  to  its  source.  From  the  Dyea  shore  all  along  the 
way  over  the  pass  this  trail  was  much  crowded  with  men, 
dogs,  a  few  horses  and  an  immense  amount  of  freight 
goods  were  cached  every  short  distance. 

One  thing  very  noticeable  was  the  men  starting  out 
so  fresh  and  hopeful,  with  their  canvas  bags  white  in 
their  newness,  and  with  an  almost  defiant  look  of  cour- 
age in  their  faces,  to  be  seen  in  a  few  days  or  weeks 
worn  out,  outfits  looking  badly  dilapidated — the  bright, 
hopeful  buoyancy  gone  to  be  succeeded  by  a  downcast, 
discouraged  air.  1  refer  to  those  who  did  their  own 
packing — it  was  no  easy  task  to  pack  a  thousand  pounds 
over  thirty-five  or  more  miles  and  could  not  be  done  very 
quickly. 


ic,  8UNSH1  \  /■;  AND  sua  DE 

While  we  were  at  Dyea  a  man  had  stolen  a  little 
from  one  cache  and  ;i  little  trom  another,here  and  there, 
ami  the  vigilant  commit  bee  took  him  in  charge  and  plac- 
arded him  with  the  word  "thief"  and  marched  him 
through  the  place — after  which  they  gave  him  bodily 
punishment. 

i  >n  the  morning  of  the  fifteenth  of  February  our 
Freight  and  luggage  were  packed  in  wagons  and  taken 
to  Sheep's  Gamp.  We  could  have  ridden,  but  the  day 
seemed  pleasant  and  we  thought  we  would  enjoy  the 
walk.  So  about  noon  we  started  to  walk  this  distance  of 
fourteen  or  more  miles. 

The  sun  shone  brightly  and  though  the  wind  blew 
quite  a  little,  we  found  the  walk  pleasant  for  a  short 
time.  Then  the  wind  increased  and  as  we  got  out  quite 
a  distance  from  Dyea  we  found  a  badly  drifted  trail; 
this  together  with  the  keen,  strong  wind  that  we  faced 
made  the  walking  very  tedious,  and  with  great  effort  our 
strength  held  out  until  we  reached  Canon  City,  nine 
miles  from  Dyea. 

At  Finnegan's  Point,  five  miles  from  Dyea,  we  had 
rested  and  refreshed  ourselves  with  hot  coffee  and  dough- 
nuts. 

We  had  hoped  to  reach  Sheep's  Camp  that  night  and 
our  bedding  had  been  sent  on  there.  At  Canon  City 
there  were  no  accommodations  for  women, but  thorough- 
ly worn  out  we  were  glad  to  find  a  seat  indoors,  while 
the  gentlemen  went  out  to  find  the  best  quarters  the 
place  afforded,  which  were  poor  indeed.  But  we  had  a 
good  meal  and  after  an  uncomfortable  night  we  arose 
early,  breakfasted  and  resumed  our  journey  to  Sheep's 
Camp  only  six  miles  away. 

The  day  was  pleasant  and  though  we  were  a  little 
Stiff  and  sore  from  the  exertions  of  the  day  before  we  en- 


JJV  THE  FAR  NORTH  17 

joyed  the  walk,  particularly  that  part  that  took  us 
through  the  winding  canon  which  was  picturesque  and 
pretty." 

On  our  way  to  Sheep's  Camp  we  were  overtaken  by 
an  ox-team,  the  owner  of  which  lifted  little  Emily  and 
placed  her  on  the  loaded  wagon,  which  gave  her  quite  a 
rest. 

There  were  so  few  children  on  the  trail  that  our 
little  girl  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  and  every 
one  had  a  smile  for  her.  One  day  a  man  said,  "God 
bless  you  dear,  you  are  just  the  size  of  my  little  girl  at 
home,"  and  tears  sprang  to  his  eyes  as  he  pathetically 
spoke  of  his  child. 

We  reached  our  destination  before  noon  and  went  to 
the  Seattle  House,  which  was  kept  by  a  gentleman  and 
his  wife  who  looked  after  the  comforts  of  the  guests  and 
did  all  they  could  to  be  courteous  and  kind  to  them. 

We  were  given  a  large  room  in  which  were  several 
beds  built  rudely  of  rough  timbers.  This  was  the  only 
private  room  in  the  hotel  and  was  given  to  our  use  alone. 
That  night  we  had  our  own  soft  beds  and  warm  blank- 
ets, and  laid  very  comfortably  compared  to  the  night  be- 
fore at  Canon  City,  which  was  the  only  cold,  uncomfort- 
able night  that  we  had  to  endure  on  the  entire  trip.  I 
will  describe  our  beds  that  gave  us  so  much  comfort. 
They  were  made  of  the  finest  sateen-covered  down  com- 
forts— two  above  and  two  below — stitched  together  on 
the  sides,  and  the  center  of  the  upper  part  was  left  open 
a  short  distance  from  the  top,  to  enable  one  to  get  in 
and  out  more  conveniently,  and  ribbons  were  sewed  on 
either  side  of  this  opening  to  tie  it  up  when  the  weather 
was  8evere,and  thus  keep  out  the  cold, leaving  the  entire 
bed  closed  but  the  top.  And  when  the  weather  made  it 
necessary  we,  of  course,  had  blankets  to  put  over  these 


is  SUNSHINE     I  \  l>  shade 

beds,  but  the  majority  of   tin- winter   we    did    not    need 
ti,,. in.     In  the  spring  and  summer  we  laid  on  top  of  our 

b<  d-  and  did  not  ur<-t   into  them. 

We  liked  them  much  better  than  any  we  saw  and 
there  were  a  number  of  different  kinds  on  sale  in 
the  stores  in  Seattle.  Ours  were  made  to  order,  and 
Recording  to  our  own  personal  ideas. 

We  were  held  at  Sheep  s  Camp  for  nearly  two 
weeks  by  a  blizzard.  Most  terrifically  did  the  wind 
blow  at  sixty  miles  an  hour,  carrying  fine  particles 
of  ice  and  snow  in  the  air,  which  cut  the  face  almost  like 
glass. 

Most  of  this  time  the  thermometer  stood  between 
tux  and  fifteen  degrees  below  zero.  Even  the  packers 
abandoned  all  work,  and  daily  the  few  who  tried  to  be 
out  any  length  of  time,  would  come  back  with  some  por- 
tion frozen,  an  ear,  cheek,  nose  or  more  often  the  feet, 
and  one  could  stand  but  a  moment  out  of  doors  until  a 
heavy  frost  would  fringe  the  eyelashes.  The  frost 
funned  an  inch  thick  or  more  in  a  few  hours  on  the 
window-panes.  Every  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours 
the  weather  would  change,  the  wind  decrease,  and  the 
packers  would  start  out  and  try  to  reach  the  summit 
only  to  get  as  far  as  Stone  House,  one  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  hotel,  there  to  be  met  with  the  terrible  wind 
from  the  Summit  which  drove  them  back.  We  walked 
out  every  day,  and  twice  we  reached  Stone  House,  where 
the  wind  was  BO  swift  it  fairly  caught  our  breaths,  and 
nearly  to..k  us  oil'  our  feet,  and  if  we  went  without  our 
masks  on  the  very  windy  cold  days  we  returned  with  sore 

-  cut  by  the  myriads  of  tiny  pieces  of  snow  and  ice 
so  swiftly  borne  through  the  air. 

We  took  these  walks  to  gradually  accustom  our- 
I    and    to  the  climbing,  and  I  think  we 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  19 

endured    that    one  extremely    hard  day's    travel    over 
ChilcootPass  much  better  for  the  preceding  walks. 

From  February  10th  to  February  25th,  there  were  a 
number  of  ships  anchored  out  at  sea  near  Skagway  and 
Dyea  held  there  by  the  strong  wind,  and  there  were 
nine  at  one  time,  and  on  the  latter  date  our  first  mail 
got  in. 

Sheep's  Camp  presented  an  odd  appearance  made 
up  of  so  many  little  tents,  all  huddled  eo  closely  to- 
gether; so  many  men  costumed  and  masked  so  queerly, 
some  in  very  picturesque  garments,  others  in  very  gro- 
tesque ones,  all  rushing  hither  and  thither,  and  some 
calling  out  to  their  dog  teams  they  were  driving,  made 
our  walks  quite  interesting  on  the  days  the  weather  was 
6uch  that  many  were  out. 

Some  of  the  tents  had  been  pitched  upon  the  snow 
after  which  heavy  snow  storms  had  come  and  the  wind 
had  drifted  the  snow  over  these  tents  and  almost  cov- 
ered them — in  several  instances  the  stove  pipe  was 
the  only  thing  visible,  but  if  one  entered  the  small  open- 
ing in  the  snow  and  walked  on  a  few  steps  he  would  soon 
come  to  a  warm  and  comfortable  Arctic  home,  lighted 
by  candles  where  one  or  more  men  were  seemingly  en- 
joying life,  or  at  least,  getting  the  best  they  could  out 
of  it  under  the  circumstances.  We  always  went  out  well 
wrapped  and  wore  fur  hoods  and  we  found  the  weather 
during  this  blizzard  more  severe  to  endure  than  any  we 
afterward  experienced  farther  in  the  interior,  where  the 
thermometer  registered  between  fifty  and  sixty  below 
zero. 

The  wind  coming  down  the  mountain  from  the  sum- 
mit of  Chilcoot  at  times  rages  terribly  and  is  much 
dreaded  when  the  thermometer  stands  between  ten  and 
fifteen  below  zero. 


•j.  i  8V  WS II  l  N  /•-'  - 1  v  i>  ska  DE 

There  were  dayB  during  February  and  March  when 
no  one  wmiM  dare  risk  going  over  the  Summit.  I  heard 
a  Dumber  say  that  no  living  creature  could  live  in  one  of 
these  blizzards  on  top  of  the  summit  of  Chilcoot  exposed 
to  the  weather. 

One  morning  several  ascended  as  far  as  The  Scales 
ami  a  couple  of  the  packers  gained  the  summit.  The 
thermometer  jumped  from  four  below  to  eighteen  above 
— then  it  grew  warmer  and  thirty  above  was  registered, 
ami  at  last  forty  above  was  reached,  so  you  may  imag- 
ine how  warm  it  was. 

( >n  February  27th  my  brother  and  Mr.  B.  went  over 
the  Chilcoot  to  Lindermann  to  pitch  tent  and  prepare  a 
place  for  us. 

While  at  Sheep's  Camp  there  was  one  death  at  the 
hotel.  A  strong  young  man  hastily  stricken  down.  He 
came  in  after  a  day's  hard  work  and  had  a  severe  chill. 
After  several  day's  sickness  he  died — it  was  thought  he 
had  eaten  something  poisonous  in  canned  meat.  He 
was  a  member  of  a  lodge,  who  cared  for  him  well,  and 
neatly  Laid  him  out  in  a  pine  coffin  covered  with  white 
cloth.  After  a  short  and  impressive  service  the  body 
was  taken  in  charge  by  the  lodge,  who  shipped  it  to  his 
family  in  Seattle. 

I  will  not  forget  that  service.  Mrs.  Craig  and  I 
were  the  only  women  in  the  house  save  the  proprietor's 
wife  who  was  sick,  and  we  were  asked  to  lead  with  the 
singing  which  we  gladly  did. 

In  retrospect  I  clearly  see  that  scene — the  large, 
plain  room  in  the  rudely  built  house — dimly  lighted  by 
one  lamp.  A  big  stove  in  the  center,  surrounded  by 
men,  many  of  whom  were  rough  by  nature,  yet  from 
whose  faces  shown  the  tender,  human  sympathy  be- 
stirred for  the  dear  loved  ones  of  this  man,  who  had 


IX  THE  FAR  NORTH  21 

been  compelled  to  yield  up  his  life  so  suddenly  in  this 
strange,  new  country  so  far  away  from  his  home.  In 
the  midst  of  this  well  filled  room,  stood  the  rude,  plain 
coffin  that  held  the  remains. 

One  of  the  leading  men  of  the  lodge  read  a  chapter 
from  the  Bible — several  songs  were  sung — and  the  6hort 
service  was  over. 

Hearing  the  matter  discussed  afterward  we  learned 
this  young  man  was  well  liked,  and  though  a  stranger 
to  almost  every  one,  had  impressed  one  and  all  with  his 
sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  heart;  particularly  was 
he  bright  and  sunny  in  his  disposition  and  courageous 
to  a  great  degree. 

On  Sunday  evenings  an  interesting  service  of  prayer 
and  song  was  held  at  the  hotel  addressed  by  a  young 
Canadian.     His  earnest  words  were  well  listened  to. 

The  day  the  boys  went  over  to  Lindermann  to  get 
the  camp  ready  for  us,  we  walked  out  with  one  of  our 
friends  to  the  two  saw-mills  in  operation  there,  and 
found  it  quite  interesting  to  watch  the  great  rough  logs 
sawed  into  nice  boards,  which  were  not  finished 
smoothly,  though  they  had  ready  sale  at  Sheep's  Camp 
at  that  time. 

My  brother  returned  late  Monday  evening  and 
rested  the  next  day  and  arranged  everything  prepara- 
tory for  us  to  cross  the  Chilcoot  the  following  day. 

A  party  of  gentlemen  left  Seattle  and  came  up  on 
the  "Queen"  at  the  same  time  that  we  did,  with  whom 
my  brother  became  intimate  and  while  at  Sheep's  Camp 
we  were  thrown  with  them  more  or  less. 

There  were  six  in  the  party,  and  of  various  callings; 
two  brothers,  lawyers,  a  bank  clerk,  and  lumberman 
from  Pennsylvania,  a  physician  and  druggist  from 
Ontario. 


22  8  i '  v 8  ii  i  N  i:  .  i  N  D  8  ii  A  i)  i: 

The  latter  was  only  twenty  years  of  age,  ;md  at 
gheep's  Camp  he  contracted  a  severe  cold,  that  bade  fair 

•  to  hie  lungs.  It  was  very  unwise  for  him  to  sleep 
in  a  tent,  s<>  he  tried  in  get  a  comfortable  place  in  the 
Seattle  Hous< — but  there  was  none.  So  Mrs.  Craig  told 
the  doctor  to  have  him  come  into  our  room,  where  the 
beds  were  arranged  with  curtains  similar  to  sleeping  car 
accommodations.  This  he  gladly  did,  and  got  over  his 
cold. 

And  this  party  of  six  men,  with  whom  we  had  been 
thrown  from  the  very  first,  crossed  the  Chilcoot  next 
day  with  us,  pitched  tent  near  us  in  Lindermann,  and  we 
eaw  inure  (>r  less  of  them  the  entire  eighteen  months 
that  we  w.M-e  gone. 

They  were  pleasant,  courteous,  and  Fred  S.,  the 
young  druggist,  later  became  my  brother's  partner  and 
seemed  like  one  of  our  family. 


I   ROSSING    ill  1"   CHILCOOn 


Crossing    Th>e    Chilcoot. 


ON  the  morning  of  March  2nd,  at  nine  o'clock 
we  left  the  hotel  at  Sheep's  Camp  and  began 
the  ascent  to  Chilcoot  Pass,  which  we  crossed 
the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 

As  we  ascended  this  noted  peak,  again  and  again 
were  we  impressed  with  the  hard  labor  of  the  men, 
horses  and  dogs. 

Touching  indeed  was  it  to  watch  the  two  last 
named,  but  when  it  came  to  seeing  men  make  beasts  of 
burden  of  themselves,  terrible  was  the  sight.  It  was 
hard  to  see  young,  able-bodied  men  toil  up  the  incline 
heavily  freighted,  but  to  see  weak,  old,  aye  even  feeble 
ones,  ascending  that  steep  mountain  with  forms  almost 
bent  double,  then  was  it  pathetic,  heart-rending. 

On  the  preceding  page  is  given  a  picture  of  one  of 
the  many  cases  that  showed  care  and  woe  and  weakness, 
either  from  sickness  or  age.  This  poor,  old  man  sits 
weary  and  worn  from  the  hours  of  labor  of  carrying  the 
burden  strapped  on  his  back — in  deep  thought  of  the 
future  and  the  hardships  and  privations  it  holds — the 
present  is  impressed  upon  him  by  his  aches,  and  fagged 
out  body,  and  his  strength  has  been  taxed  to  its  utmost. 
The  past  comes  to  him  in  a  vision  of  home,  with  its 
dear  ones,  and  the  love,  grown  stronger  as  he  has  grown 
weaker,  6tarts  unbidden  the  tears  to  his  eyes.  He  longs 
to  turn  back  and  yet  he  sits  considering  whether  to  re- 
turn to  wife  and  family  and  give  up  the  hope  of  win- 
ning the  coveted  gold  which  he  may  not  obtain  anyway, 

23 


>_M  8UNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

or  plod  "ii  through  the  difficulties  that  will  beset  him  in 
an  endeavor  to  win. 

My  friend  who  took  the  picture  well  named  it  "Un- 
decided" and  very  strongly  will  it  appeal  to  all,  though 
you  did  not  see  the  original. 

So  I  might  go  on  and  cite  many  other  instances  of 
weakness  and  ill- health.  Often  could  we  hear  men 
groan  aloud  in  their  great  fatigue — their  faces  wet  with 
perspiration,  and  sometimes  they  would  unwisely  loosen 
their  outside  garment  to  cool  off,  thus  placing  themselves 
liable  to  take  a  heavy  cold  and  endanger  themselves  to 
pneumonia.  The  trail  on  either  side  was  terribly  con- 
gi  Bted  with  freight,  so  much  so  it  was  hard  to  keep 
one's  belonging  to  themselves,  and  things  were  lost  and 
mixed  a  great  deal. 

On  the  way  from  Sheep's  Camp  is  an  immense  gla- 
cier, under  which  there,  is  said  to  be  a  hot  spring. 

It  is  near  here  that  the  awful  flood  of  ninety-seven 
occurred  deluging  a  number  of  camps,  though  but  one 
unfortunate  lost  his  life.  He  was  overtaken  with  the 
great  power  of  water  just  as  he  was  dipping  a  bucket  of 
water  up  preparatory  to  getting  his  breakfast. 

Though  very,  very  tiresome  we  found  the  day  most 
interesting,  watching  the  men  go  up  and  down,  the 
packers  with  their  pack-trains  of  horses,  and  the  dogs 
attached  to  the  Yukon  Sleds  faithfully  pulling.  Ever 
and  anon  could  !>«•  heard  a  merry  shout — a  school  boy 
yell,  and  turning  we  would  see  men  on  their  sleds,  hav- 
ing deposited  their  loads  and  returning  for  others,  rac- 
ing with  each  other  down  the  steep  incline  with  all  the 
merriment  and  jolly  fun  that  boys  could  possibly  have 
had.  And  many  a  funny  fall  and  comical  tumble 
brought  the  smile  to  even  the  weak  and  fatigued. 

linked   it   was   this  combination  of  man  and  boy, 


UNDECIDED. 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  25 

this  mixture  of  work  and  play,  that  helped  to  keep  up 
the  courage  of  many.  And  the  spectator  was  reminded 
of  the  old  adage,  "The  man  is  but  the  boy  grown,"  a 
number  of  times. 

We  had  waited  for  a  pleasant  day  and  we  certainly 
were  favored  in  the  selection  we  made.  The  sun  shone 
brightly  and  it  was  rather  quiet  until  we  reached  Stone 
House — so  named  from  a  great  pile  of  stone  which  bore 
the  form  of  a  house.  To  this  point  the  walk  was  very 
pleasant,  as  it  needed  no  great  exertion  to  ascend  this 
gradual  incline.  But  here  the  wind  increased  and  the 
ascent  became  so  steep  that  going  from  Stone  House  to 
The  Scales,  in  my  opinion  we  found  the  hardest  part  of 
our  journey. 

The  incline  was  so  precipitous,  so  smooth  and  slick 
from  the  large  amount  of  travel  and  coasting  down  on 
sleds  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  keep  one's  footing  and 
we  were  assisted  up  this  part. 

Two  of  our  friends  got  a  large  strong  stick,  and 
took  hold  of  either  end  of  it,  urging  me  to  grasp  the  cen- 
ter and  lean  heavily  upon  it.  This  I  gratefully  did  and 
was  thus  helped  up  the  steepest  portion. 

Little  Emily  rode  on  a  sled,  drawn  by  a  dog,  from 
Sheep's  Camp  to  the  Scales  and  from  there  was  borne 
on  the  shoulders  of  our  friend,  Dr.  H.,  up  the  summit  of 
Chilcoot  Pass. 

The  wind  being  so  swift  and  the  ascent  so  rapid, 
our  progress  was  impeded,  but  we  at  last  readied  The 
Scales  where  we  rested  and  lunched.  I  think  that  that 
day  was  the  greatest  effort  of  my  life  without  exception, 
especially  going  from  Stone  House  to  The  Scales. 

After  our  rest  we  resumed  the  ascent  to  the  Summit, 
which  the  rest  of  the  way  was  made  by  going  up  steps 
cut  in  the  side  of  the  mountain. 


•j .  I  8  r  x  s  ii  i  y  /•;  .  i  vi>  8  hade 

We  bad  read  and  heard  more  of  this  part  of  our 
journey  khan  the  preceding,  undyet  we  were  agreeably 
surprised  to  find  it  less  tiring.  There  were  between 
eleven  hundred  and  twelve  hundred  steps  cut  in  the 
mow  by  the  constant  walking  of  the  packers.  It  seemed 
very  much  like  climbing  steep  stairs  or  a  step-ladder  of 
great  length.  Of  course  one  might  feel  a  little  nervous 
when  the  thought  that  he  was  one  of  a  number  of  a  long 
line,  who  were  ascending  this  great  incline  and  to  falter 
or  deviate  a  step  was  to  trouble  and  annoy  those  behind. 
Hut  this  gave  us  little  or  no  worry  as  we  were  followed 
by  friends  and  any  way  though  we  might  trouble,  we 
would  not  annoy  men  in  this,  as  we  belonged  to  the 
weaker  sex,  anil  the  majority  of  men  are  kind  to  women 
when  it  comes  to  physical  exertion. 

After  reaching  the  Summit  we  again  rested  and  as 
we  sat  there  easing  tired  nature  and  recuperating  our 
Strength,  we  feasted  our  eyes  on  the  grand  and  beauti- 
ful scenery  spread  out  before  us.  The  grandeur  of  the 
lovely  views  I  feel  unable  to  impress  you  with.  The 
surrounding  mountains,  far  and  near,  majestically  stood 
in  their  mantle  of  snow  against  the  background  of  the 
deep  blue  sky,  and  the  brightness  of  the  sunshine  added 
brilliancy  to  the  scene. 

It  was  very  interesting  to  look  down  upon  the  long 
line  of  men  bearing  their  burdens  ascending  on  the 
right  side,  while  to  the  left  could  be  seen  those  descend- 
ing, and  here  again  was  the  child  part  of  the  man 
pleased,  though  it  needed  the  courage  of  man  as  well  to 
tit  one's  sell  into  the  groove,  which  had  been  worn  into 
the  aide  of  the  mountain  by  those  preceding,  and  rap- 
idly shoot  down.  It  seemed  a  veritable  "shoot  the 
chute"  BOrt  of  action,  which  was  dangerous,  for  had 
either  arm  turned  the  least  bit,    as  they   rested  on   the 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  27 

elbows,  bearing  the  weight  of  the  body,  a  serious  dislo- 
cation if  nothing  more  would  have  been  the  result. 

While  my  brother  was  looking  up  our  things  and 
attending  to  the  paying  of  the  duty  we  were  invited  in 
the  little  custom  house  by  the  officers  and  courteously 
treated  by  them. 

On  the  summit  of  Chilcoot  waved  the  Canadian  Flag, 
and  when  we  started  to  descend  to  Lindermann,  we 
turned  our  faces  from  the  land  of  our  birth  for  the  first 
time,  toward  a  new  country  of  foreign  government. 

So  far  we  had  had  a  very  pleasant  journey,  as  well 
as  a  very  tiresome  one,  not  an  especially  meriy  time,  but 
now  our  fun  began  and  a  jolly  good  time  we  had  de- 
scending the  mountain  to  Lindermann  where  we  expected 
to'  take  up  camp  life  in  which  we  had  had  no  experience. 
In  spite  of  tired  limbs  and  aching  bodies  we  had  a  very 
jolly  time. 

The  first  mountain  was  so  very  steep  that  we  quickly 
declined  a  kind  olfer  to  ride,  although  later  we  en- 
joyed coasting  down  the  less  rapid  descents.  We  first 
tried  walking  the  very  steep  ones,  but  really  we  walked 
very  little,  we  rather  rolled,  slid,  and  at  one  time  pro- 
pelled ourselves  with  our  hands  and  knees,  back  war  dly 
making  the  descent,  now  and  then  slipping  and  rolling 
over  and  over  until  we  came  to  a  rough  place  to  which 
we  could  catch  and  stop,  and  of  course  in  all  this 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  fun  as  we  saw  each  other  in 
the  dilferent  comical  positions  and  one  would  try  to  aid 
the  other  to  rise  only  to  fall  himself. 

We  reached  Long  Lake  near  six  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing. Just  before  reaching  the  place  one  of  our  party 
drew  the  attention  of  the  rest  to  a  picture  in  the  dis- 
tance, of  a  mountain,  which  although  covered  with  the 
pure  white  snow,  appeared  golden  in  the  setting  sun,  a 


o8  SUNSHINE   AND  sua  de 

bright  significance  of  the  gold   for  which  so  many   had 
made  t  bis  Journey. 

After  resting  and  eating  our  evening  meal  we 
walked  the  remaining  distance  to  Lindermann  in  the 
bright  light  of  a  full  moon,  whose  radiance  seemed  ex- 
oeptionally  brilliant. 

To  nay  that  we  enjoyed  the  walk  is  to  lightly  ex- 
press the  delight  we  felt,  wearied  though  we  were,  in  go- 
ing over  the  mountain  on  so  grand  a  night  and  our  gaiety 
did  not  desert  us  until  we  reached  Lindermann,  which 
was  all  the  more  comical  from  the  fact  that  we  groaned 
one  moment  from  sheer  exhaustion,  only  to  laugh  the 
next  in  seeing  one  of  the  party  rolling  down  hill,  another 
starting  tn  assist  him  to  rise,  only  to  fall,  and  still  an- 
other until  all  of  us  would  be  down. 

We  kept  our  spirits  up  a  part  of  the  time  by  singing 
comical  songs.  Once  looking  back  I  saw  Mrs.  Craig 
walking  on  uneven  ground,  causing  her  to  limp,  one 
foot  walking  on  higher  ground  than  the  other  and  I  sang 
out  to  her:  "And  one  leg  was  shorter  than  it  really 
ought  to  be,"  at  which  we  both  laughed  and  while  laugh- 
ing down  I  slipped,  so  peal  after  peal  of  laughter  rang 
out  over  the  mountain  and  were  re-echoed  back  to  us. 

Now  and  then  we  would  pass  a  tent,  though  there 
were  very  few  from  the  Summit  to  Lindermann,  and  as 
our  voices  resounded  in  the  clear  night  air,  the  men 
would  come  out,  their  attention  attracted  by  a  woman's 
voice,  for  there  wen-  very  few  women  that  had  crossed 
the  ( IhilcOOt  at  that  time. 

Once  I  fell  and  rolled  almost  into  a  tent,  where  I 
I  heard  the  voices  ft'  men.  I  think  I  was  more  like  a 
rubber  ball  than  I  ever  had  been  before  in  my  life,  for  I 
bounced  up  and  away  ere  they  got  to  the  door  and  I  was 
laughingly  telling  the  othera  about  it,  when  I  heard  one 


/JV  THE  FAR  XOBTH 


29 


of  the  men  say:  "It  is  quite  a  party,  and  there  two 
women  and  a  little  girl  among  them." 

Just  a  little  distance  away  from  the  others  I  fell 
at  one  time  and  mischievously  thought  I  would  lie  there 
and  make  the  rest  think  for  a  moment  or  so  that  I  was 
hurt.  In  an  instant  I  was  missed  and  located  a  few  steps 
ahead.  My  brother  running  toward  me  called  out, 
"Lulu!  oh  Lulu,"  and  then  I  heard  him  say  :  "Nell  I 
believe  she  is  hurt,"  and  I  broke  to  the  laugh  I  could 
repress  no  longer;  but  when  I  saw  I  had  alarmed  my 
brother  I  did  not  try  it  again. 

But  in  these  different  little  ways  our  courage  was 
kept  up.  Humorous  indeed  and  intensely  interesting 
was  the  experience  of  that  never-to-be-forgotten  day, 
journeying  from  Sheep's  Camp  to  Lindermann  over  the 
famous  Chilcoot  Pass. 

We  reached  our  destination  at  nine-thirty  p.  m. 
where  our  tent  was  well  warmed  and  lighted  for  us  by 
Mr.  B,  who  had  kindly  gone  on  before  us  to  make  the 
tent  comfortable  for  the  tired-out  mountain  wanderers. 

And  after  a  hot  drink  of  cocoa,  we  needed  no  coax- 
ing to  give  ourselves  over  into  the  arms  of  Morpheus. 


Our  Stay  in  Lindermann, 


TIIK  three  months  we  spent  at  Lindermann 
were  very  interesting,  particularly  the  last  six 
weeks,  and  we  enjoyed  the  novelty  of  camp  life, 
though  we  found  the  weather  quite  severe,  and 
the  winds,  too,  were  trying,  especially  in  March.  We 
had  a  large  tent  with  bedrooms  partitioned  off,  which 
were  well  heated  by  a  cooking  and  heating  stove  com- 
bined. We  took  in  candles  but  also  had  a  large  coal  oil 
lamp,  which  gave  us  much  more  pleasure  in  reading 
than  the  former.  We  had  quite  a  few  luxuries,  which 
the  ordinary  camper  had  not;  sueh  as  china,  silver, 
table-cloths,  doilies  and  napkins  in  the  way  of 
table  articles,  and,  besides  a  complete  Yukon 
outfit  in  provisions,  such  as  flour,  beans,  bacon, 
rice,  oatmeal,  all  the  dried  fruits,  vegetable-soups, 
canned  meats,  spices  and  vinegar;  my  brother  took  in 
'•mts  of  tomatoes,  peas,  oysters,  corn,  lemons,  figs, 
hams,  raisins,  nuts,  cheese,  maple-sugar,  et  cetera,  and 
while  at  Lindermann  we  had  some  fresh  eggs  and  fresh 
meat,  though  later  in  the  interior  we  were  deprived  of 
them  some  of  the  time.  As  a  substitute  for  eggs  we 
found  that  the  crystalized  eggs  were  very  good,  espec- 
ially in  cakes  and  desserts.  Then  too,  the  condensed 
cream  served  us  well  for  fresh  cream,  of  which  we  could 

It  could  be  whipped  nicely  and  we  enjoyed   it  over 
the  desserts  like  lemon  jelly. 

In  the  way  of  furniture  we  had  a  table,  china  press, 
30 


IJST  THE  FAR  XOTTH  31 

settee,  book-case,  stools  and  bedsteads,  all  made  of  lum- 
ber, whip-sawed  from  timber,  which  was  so  abundant. 
Our  beds  were  very  comfortable,  the  mattresses  were 
formed  of  pine-boughs,  and  when  they  got  a  little 
flattened  we  had  fresh  ones  brought,  taking  pains  to  lay 
them  carefully  after  having  dried  them  well.  Over  these 
boughs  we  laid  our  tarpaulin,  then  blankets,  on  top 
of  which  we  placed  our  down  beds. 

We  led  a  very  busy  life  with  our  domestic  duties 
and  reading,  writing,  walking  and  chatting  with  friends, 
who  would  drop  in  on  us  most  any  hour  of  the  day.  All 
conventionality  was  laid  aside,  and  at  all  times  our 
friends  were  welcome,  but  particularly  on  the  stormy 
days,  for  a  pleasant,  social  chat  went  far  to  make  one 
forget  the  terrific  roar  of  the  blizzard.  And  oh!  how  the 
wind  did  howl  some  of  those  March  and  April  days !  I 
could  but  think  of  these  words : 

"Oh,  you  that  are  so  strong  and  cold, 
Oh,  blower!  Are  you  young  or  old? 
Are  you  a  beast  of  field  and  tree, 
Oh,  wind  ablowing  all  day  long? 
Oh  wind,  that  sings  so  loud  a  song.'1 

The  windy  days  were  very  trying,  especially  after  a 
heavy  snow  storm,  as  it  drifted  the  snow  so  very  deep  in 
places,  sometimes  not  only  on  the  top  of  our  tent  but 
right  around  the  door  of  it. 

During  March  the  thermometer  registered  from  ten 
below  to  twenty  degrees  above — in  April  from  thirty  to 
forty-five  degrees  above  in  the  day,  though  at  night 
it  was  much  colder,  running  from  six  to  ten  degrees  be- 
low.    May  was  quite  like  April  though  a  little    warmer. 

The  days  were  rather  short  the  first  of  March,  grad- 
ually lengthening  until  the  first  of  April,  when  they 
grew  longer  more  perceptibly  and  at  the  first  of  May  the 
nights  were  only  from  ten  p.  m.  to  three  a.  m. 


32  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

AVe  received  mail  every  two  to  four  weeks,  but  from 
this  time  on  until  we  reached  Dawson  City,  we  paid  from 
fifteen  to  twenty-five  cents  for  each  letter  to  a  special 
courier.  At  first  this  was  somewhat  annoying,  especially 
when  one  received  from  two  to  six  letters  at  a  time,  but 
we  soon  became  accustomed  to  it  and  were  so  gl'id  to 
hear  from  home  and  friends  that  we  got  so  we  did  not 
mind  it. 

Now  and  then  the  gentlemen  would  go  over  the  Pass 
to  make  some  purchases  in  Dyea,  where  there  were  sev- 
eral small  stores  and  one  large  one,  and  then  they  would 
bring  our  mail  to  us. 

We  were  warm  and  comfortable  at  all  times  tenting 
in  Lindermann,  though  the  weather  was  much  more  se- 
vere there  than  further  in  the  interior  on  account  of  the 
winds. 

It  was  interesting  during  March  and  April  to  walk 
out  and  watch  the  going  and  coming  of  the  men  hauling 
freight,  though  in  some  cases  pitiable — some  packing 
themselves,  others  having  dog,  horse  and  goat  teams — 
however  there  were  few  of  the  last  two  named.  The 
mountain  goats  are  said  to  work  well,  they  eat  less,  will 
pull  more  and  live  longer  than  the  dog. 

I  often  took  long  walks  and  though  I  would  leave 
home  in  the  sunshine,  sometimes  ere  I  returned  it  would 
be  snowing  and  blowing  furiously  and  I  would  be  al- 
most blinded  and  reach  home  quite  fatigued,  but  I  be- 
lieve walking  out  every  day  was  a  great  benefit  to  me 
and  acclimated  me  finely. 

We  invited  the  young  minister  that  we  heard  speak 
in  Sheep's  Camp  to  hold  a  song  service  on  Sunday  even- 
ings in  our  tent,  which  he  did,  and  the  service  was  much 
enjoyed. 

Sometimes   we    would   go    across    the  lake  with  my 


[■yyyi — 

t**2 

if+Jf^ 

7 

* 

V»   ■     i «   ■  ■ 

t 

/jLj 

^ 

■ 

■ 

mi;    m  NT  -I  RR01  NDED   l'.V   TWELVE   FEET    OF   SNOW 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  33 

brother  and  friends,  and  while  they  would  get  their 
wood  we  would  look  around  for  spruce  gum,  and  hunt  a 
nice  place  to  coast  with  little  Emily,  often  all  of  us  get- 
ting on  the  sled  together,  and  shortly  after  be  thrown 
into  the  deep  snow  that  filled  up  a  deep  ravine,  which 
only  increased  our  fun.  If  it  seemed  cold  the  boys  would 
build  us  a  fire,  by  which  we  kept  warm  when  we  tired  of 
exercising. 

During  the  first  half  of  April  it  snowed  a  great  deal 
and  the  wind  blew  terrifically. 

On  the  morning  of  April  third  an  awful  avalanche 
of  snow  came  down  between  the  Summit  and  Sheep's 
Camp, nearer  the  latter,  and  nearly  seventy-five  people 
were  buried.  This  was  a  great  shock  to  every  one.  Never 
had  I  been  near  so  great  a  disaster.  So  many  strong 
young  men  so  suddenly  killed,  so  many  families  bereft 
of  loved  ones,  and  deprived  of  being  near  their  sons 
when  death  came,  to  administer  the  last  kind  act.  Sev- 
eral women  were  buried  in  this  snow  slide.  A  friend  of 
ours  lay  for  four  hours  beneath  it  and  was  then  dug  out 
and  resuscitated.  He  had  mail  for  me  in  his  possession 
at  the  time  and  I  have  the  letter,  which  was  from  my 
father,  and  shall  keep  it  as  a  relic  of  the  snow-slide  at 
Sheep's  Camp  in  1898.  Less  than  a  year  before,  the 
terrible  flood  to  which  I  have  previously  referred,  oc- 
curred near  this  place. 

There  was  a  blizzard  on  near  the  middle  of  April, 
the  wind  was  raging  and  the  snow  had  continually  come 
down  for  days.  On  the  morning  of  April  thirteenth,  at 
six  o'clock,  our  tent  collapsed.  The  center  ridge-pole 
broke  under  the  weight  of  eight  feet  of  snow,  that  had 
blown  there  during  the  night,  and  we  miraculously  es- 
caped from  being  buried  alive.  The  first  break  made  a 
cracking  sound  that  awakened  us,  but  the  tent  did   not 


:u  SUNSHINE  AND  shade 

lower  until  tin-  second  break,  which  broke  the  pole  and 
broughl  the  tent, with  its  heavy  weightof  snow  down,  not 
entirely,  however;  giving  us  barely  time  to  dress  and 
Bnatoh  our  wraps,  when  it  all  came  down  flat  upon  our 
beds. 

Still  the  stove  and  china-press  kept  a  portion  of  it 
up  on  the  other  side  and  in  one  corner,  and  to  this  part 
we  hastened  and  huddled  together,  sat  and  waited  un- 
til my  brother  went  out  and  aroused  our  friend,  Fred, 
who  arose  and  prepared  for  our  coming  into  his  tent. 

As  we  sat  there  in  that  comfortless  place,  soberly 
looking  at  one  another  I  thought  to  myself  "what  would 
my  family  and  friends  say  now  if  they  could  only  see  us" 
— a  desolate  picture  we  made — but  we  had  come  out  of 
it  all  right  and  as  usual  I  saw  the  comical  side  and  could 
not  repress  my  laugh,  though  I  felt  none  the  less  thank- 
ful and  I  freely  admit  that  morning  was  one  of  the  trials 
of  our  trip. 

( >ur  friends  soon  had  a  nice  warm  place  in  which  to 
invite  us,  tidied  and  made  as  respectable  as  possible — 
but  when  I  tell  you  that  the  tent  was  eight  by  ten  for 
six  of    us   to  occupy  you  will  realize   how    crowded  we 

Were. 

Rut  we  made  merry  the  time  and  place,  as  we 
cooked  the  breakfast  on  that  stormy  morning. 

We  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  hearing 
some  one  call  1  looked  out  and  saw  one  of  our  friends, 
Mr.  S..  pushing  and  shoving  his  way  into  our  tent,  call- 
ing loudly  "Craig.  Craig."  I  knew  from  his  demon- 
strations t  hat  he  thought  we  were  all  in  there  buried 
alive,  and  I  called  to  him  that  we  were  safe.  We  after- 
ward laughed  many  times  over  it.  That  night  the  gen- 
tlemen   slept     in    the  bunk-house   and   gave    their  tent 

tO    U6, 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  85 

All  night  long  the  wind  howled — we  reclined  in  our 
dresses  and  did  not  disrobe.  One  of  us  got  up  every 
once  in  a  while  and  made  up  the  fire — the  snow  piled  on 
the  top  of  this  tent  some,  but  it  being  so  much  smaller, 
there  was  little  or  no  danger  of  its  coming  down. 

Still  we  were  a  little  uneasy  and  appreciated 
the  thoughtfulness  of  a  friend,  who  was  sitting  up  with 
a  sick  man,  that  prompted  him  to  come  out  every  hour 
and  clean  our  tent  off  with  a  broom.  He  had  said  to  my 
brother  that  as  we  felt  uneasy  he  would  keep  the  snow 
off  as  he  had  to  be  up  all  night  anyway,  and  he  urged 
my  brother  to  take  his  rest. 

The  next  day  it  still  blew  and  stormed  and  there 
could  be  nothing  done  to  our  tent.  We  had  a  great  deal 
of  annoyance  one  moment  and  fun  the  next,  cooking 
and  serving  our  meals  in  that  little  cramped  place. 

The  following  morning  brother  and  Fred  went  to 
the  woods  and  got  some  strong  green  poles,  and  that  af- 
ternoon near  three,  a  number  of  friends  joined  brother, 
each  with  a  shovel  and  began  the  arduous  task  of  taking 
the  snow  off  of  our  tent ,  and  repitching  it.  They 
worked  for  two  hours  or  more,  then  they  raised  the  tent 
and  soon  we  saw  our  humble  little  home  ready  for  us.  A 
good  fire  had  warmed  it  and  taken  the  dampness  off  so 
we  bade  our  friends  good-night  and  repaired  to  our  own 
home,  thanking  them  for  their  hospitality,  to  which  they 
replied  that  it  had  been  an  advantage  to  them,  and  they 
had  enjoyed  it,  particularly  our  cooking,  they  laughingly 
added. 

We  were  hours  getting  our  bedding  entirely  dry, 
and  our  home  re-arranged  for  our  convenience  and  com- 
fort, and  retired  that  night  late. 

When  the  days  were  pleasant,  the  sun  shone  so 
brightly  in   the  sky   so   deeply  blue,  with  fleecy  white 


80  8UN3HINE  AND  SHADE 

clouds  here  and  there  and  the  wind  was  so  completely 
allayed,  that  one  almost  forgot  the  howling,  screeching 
blizzard  of  the  previous  days.  And  at  night  when  it 
was  calm,  I  loved  to  9tand  and  gaze  at  the  serene  sky, 
which  was  made  more  beautiful  by  the  graceful  outlines 
of  the  snow-covered  mountains,  rising  majestically  in 
the  near  distance. 

The  evening  star  seemed  larger  and  more  brilliant 
here  than  elsewhere,  though  that  may  have  been  imag- 
inary. During  March  the  Aurora,  that  great  search- 
light of  the  North,  now  and  then  appeared,  more  often 
in  a  white  color,  though  at  times  breaking  into  colors 
that  vied  with  the  rainbow  in  brilliancy. 

From  time  to  time  late  papers  came,  which  brought 
the  news  of  the  impending  war  between  the  United 
States  and  Spain  and  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  April  we 
received  the  news  that  war  was  declared. 

All  of  our  friends  were  intensely  interested  and 
some  talked  of  returning  and  joining  the  army  and  I 
think  many  of  those  on  the  trail  would  have  done  so  but 
for  the  great  expense  they  had  had  going  into  this 
country. 

The  last  of  April  the  snow  began  to  melt  during 
the  long  pleasant  days  and  in  May  the  ice  commenced  to 
move  out  of  the  lake.  We  enjoyed  walking  oat  of  even- 
ings along  the  shore  of  the  lake  until  we  came 
to  the  canon  where  the  torrent  of  water  came  with 
a  rush  and  a  roar  on  into  the  lake  breaking  up  the 
ice,  and  returning  we  wandered  through  this  lit- 
tle city  of  tents  of  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  people, 
finding  interest  in  reading  the  names  on  the  tents  which 
represented  many  if  not  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  first  six  weeks  or  more  there  was  no  sickness 
in    Lindermann,    though  there    was    a  great    deal     at 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  37 

Sheep's  Camp  during  the  two  weeks'  stay  there  and  it 
had  increased  daily. 

And  about  the  middle  of  April  a  number  sickened 
in  Lindermann  and  from  that  time  until  the  first  of  June 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  sickness  and  a  number  of 
deaths;  every  few  days  a  small  procession  could  be  seen 
wending  its  way  to  the  little  graveyard  on  the  knoll 
nearby. 

Kind  attention  and  every  care  was  given  to  the  un- 
fortunates who  died  in  this  strange,  new  country  some 
of  whom  lay  in  an  unnamed,  unknown  grave,  for  in 
a  few  cases  no  one  knew  them  or  anything  about 
them. 

We  were  very  careful  in  every  way  possible  to  ward 
off  sickness.  Always  boiled  the  water  which  the  physi- 
cians claimed  was  impure  and  caused  the  sickness. 

One  case  came  under  our  attention  that  was  quite 
pathetic.  There  were  three  partners,  all  of  whom 
seemed  in  good  health.  But  from  the  start  one,  the 
largest  and  strongest  apparently,  of  the  three,  refused 
to  work.  He  never  said  he  was  sick,  or  what  ailed  him 
but  complained  of  being  tired.  The  other  two  stood  it 
for  a  while,  but  when  he  seemed  well  and  ate  heartily, 
they  began  to  upraid  him  and  finally  they  quarrelled 
and  parted,  the  other  two  telling  him  they  did  not  want 
him  any  longer  and  in  a  couple  of  days  afterward  he 
died  alone  in  his  tent — it  was  heart  trouble.  The  pathos 
of  this  little  affair  brought  tears  to  many  eyes,  and  the 
partners  of  course  felt  badly,  as  they  thought  he  was 
well  and  able  to  work.  I  think  one  might  recall  a  most 
estimable  moral  from  this — indeed  two:  "Judge  not," 
"Be  charitable" — under  any  and  all  circumstances. 

We  enjoyed  the  last  of  INI  ay  and  the  forepart  of 
June  very  much — then  we  had  continual  daylight — there 


274: 


o 


:  |  s  sr  XS//  /  X  /•;  A  ND  SH  Ah  E 

was  n<>  ttight,  only  a  dimness  of  the  day,  which  might  be 
termed  a  long  twilight  and  lingering  dawn  combined. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  day  and  night  were  veritably 
wedded — for  the  setting  and  the  rising  of  the  sun  were 
almost  together. 

The  only  disadvantage  to  all  of  this  was  not  being 
able  to  sleep  in  so  bright  a  light — but  even  in  this  there 
was  a  gain. 

A  number  of  times  near  twelve  p.  m.  I  was  awake 
and  quietly  putting  on  my  slippers  I  would  tip-toe  across 
the  floor,  and  pulling  the  curtains  aside,  I  would  look  at 
the  rising  sun  just  peeping  forth  in  all  the  beauty  pos- 
sible. 

One  morning  in  particular  I  recall,  it  seemed  like  a 
great  red  ball  of  fire,  from  which  radiated  a  deep  glow 
that  gradually  lessened  as  it  distanced  from  the  sun,  un- 
til it  passed  from  the  rosy  red  to  the  delicate  pink 
shades;  then  lighter  it  grew  passing  from  the  least  pos- 
sible tint  of  pink  into  the  very  light  blue  of  the  sky, 
deepening  into  the  most  intense  blue,  and  around  and 
above  all  this  floated  the  softest  of  pearly  grey  clouds 
intermingled  with  others  of  downy  whiteness. 

Shivering  I  crept  back  into  bed  but  left  the  curtains 
pulled  a  tiny  bit  apart,  that  I  might  lay  and  feast  my  eye9 
upon  the  great  fair  dawning  of  the  day,  which  brought 
me  thoughts  akin  to  this  grand  and  beautiful  display  of 
nature. 

The  month  of  May  was  a  busy  one  at  Lindermann. 
Most  of  the  men  were  busy  whip  sawing  their  lumber 
and  building  their  boats,  of  which  there  was  six  thous- 
and built  there.  Boats  large  and  small,  and  of  vxcrx 
conceivable  shape,  from  the  tiniest  skiff  to  the  largest 
barge  or  scow,  and  some  even  built  rafts. 

We  looked  with  interest  upon  the  two  saw-mills  there 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  39 

in  operation,  the  numerous  saw-pits  of  those  whip-saw- 
ing their  own  lumber  and  the  construction  of  the  many 
boats. 

"We  began  to  get  anxious  to  start  down  the  rivers 
and  lakes,  yet  we  knew  it  was  wise  to  wait  until  the  ice 
was  gone.  Many  started  the  last  of  May  and  the  first 
few  days  of  June,  but  a  number  of  boats  got  jammed 
in  the  ice ;  many  outfits  were  lost,  and  a  few  were 
drowned. 

One  morning,  shortly  after  breakfast,  we  were 
standing  on  the  lake  shore,  watching  the  different  ves- 
sels afloat,  when  our  attention  was  called  to  a  small 
raft  made  of  three  ill  shaped  logs,  on  which  a  man 
stood,  having  his  coat  for  a  sail  and  nothing  but  a  small 
mess  sack  as  freight ;  and  in  this  poor,  unsafe  way  he 
was  going  to  Dawson.  Mrs.  C.  got  in  a  boat  and  a 
friend  rowed  her  within  speaking  distance  of  the  man 
and  she  called  out  to  him  not  to  proceed  in  such  a  way 
eo  long  a  distance,  but  he  replied  that  he  would  go  to 
Dawson  City  and  this  was  the  only  way  in  which  he 
could  go.  Mrs.  C.  then  took  a  snap  shot  of  him  and  the 
next  day  we  heard  he  had  been  drowned — poor  fellow! 
l}*ing  in  a  watery  grave  from  sheer  recklessness. 

Another  pleasant  morning  was  darkened  by  the 
ravings  of  a  mad  man.  I  did  not  see  the  man  but  heard 
his  wild  talk  clear  to  our  tent,  and  afterwards  heard  one 
of  the  men  say  he  was  crazy  and  that  the  Mounted 
Police  had  taken  him  in  charge. 

Numerous  little  sad  incidents  occurred  such  as  these 
and  pathetic  indeed  were  our  thoughts,  when  we  Baw 
the  sick  and  the  dying,  the  insane  and  the  troubled, 
burdened  in  this  strange,  new  country. 

The  names  of  the  boats  were  interesting.  Many 
were  named  for  dear  ones  at  home,  and  others  were  com- 


40  8  V  A"  8 II I XE  A  ND  SI/ .  I  D  E 

ioally  called,  "Yellow  Garter,"  "Seven  come  Eleven,*' 
and  bo  on.     We  named  ours,  "Old  Glory." 

Decoration  Day  was  fitly  commemorated  in  appro- 
priate exercises,  and  the  graves  of  the  poor  unfortu- 
nates, who  had  died  during  the  Spring  were  decorated. 
This  service  was  attended  by  the  North  "West  Mounted 
Police.  The  Union  Jack  and  our  dear  old  flag  were 
crossed  and  held  over  each  grave  as  the  flowers  were 
placed  upon  it. 

June  third  was  Emily's  birthday  and  upon  that  ev- 
ening we  entertained  our  friends — the  little  birthday 
part}'  serving  as  a  sort  of  farewell  fete  as  well,  for  in  the 
following  few  days  our  friends  began  to  leave,  some 
having  Dawson  as  their  destination,  and  others  going  up 
the  Stewart  and  elsewhere,  and  that  little  social  hour 
was  our  last  with  these  friends  for  months.  That  day 
we  were  very  busy.  After  having  prepared  our  refresh- 
ments, we  arranged  our  tent  in  as  much  of  a  drawing- 
room  as  possible. 

We  left  the  curtains  up  that  draped  off  one  of  our 
bed-rooms,  but  the  other  we  drew  back  and  looped  up, 
and  the  wolf  robed  couch  made  a  convenient  place  to 
use  as  a  receptacle  for  hats.  The  wooden  settee  we 
draped  in  a  dark,  brightly  bordered  blanket. 

We  stretched  a  new  tarpaulin  upon  the  floor,  and 
re-arranged  the  china-press,  bookcase  and  seats  placing 
them  across  the  corners,  and  put  the  table  back  a  little 
farther  to  make  more  room.  Two  of  the  gentlemen  had 
rowed  across  the  lake  that  morning  to  a  pretty  spot, 
where  they  found  lots  of  wild  flowers  and  had  returned 
with  their  arms  full.  It  took  but  a  few  moments  to 
transform  our  northern  home  into  a  southern  bower, 
apparently,  as  we  placed  the  beautiful  wild  flowers  in 
every  conceivable  place.     But  perhaps  the  prettiest  thing 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  41 

in  the  room  was  the  table  on  which  was  spread  a  cloth 
of  snowy  whiteness,  and  over  this  we  placed  a  large 
doily,  embroidered  in  roses  typical  of  our  June  rose  of 
ten  summers. 

The  roses  were  not  in  bloom,  but  we  selected  a 
pretty  pink  flower  to  lay  in  garlands  around  the  birth- 
day cake  upon  which  were  placed  ten  lighted  tapers. 
And  when  we  had  finished  our  task  and  were  ready  to 
see  our  friends,  we  felt  repaid  for  the  hours  spent  so 
busily. 

We  had  a  most  pleasant  evening,  and  one  we  all  will 
remember. 

The  following  week  we  were  preparing  to  leave 
Lindermann,  and  on  Monday,  June  thirteenth,  we 
started  on  our  journey  to  Dawson. 

We  were  glad  indeed,  to  leave  Lindermann  and  re- 
sume our  way  into  the  interior.  Yet  we  left  a  number 
of  good  friends  there,  among  whom  were  two  of  the 
North  West  Mounted  Police — the  sergeant  and  the  cor- 
poral— very  pleasant  Englishmen  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment; and  we  were  turning  our  faces  from  home  and 
going  farther  away  from  our  dear  ones,  which  made  us 
sad.  Withal  though,  we  felt  quite  happy  as  we  waved 
adieus  to  those  on  shore  and  sailed  away  from  Linder- 
mann, where  we  had  tented  for  over  three  months,  the 
forepart  of  which  was  passed  amidst  the  snow  and  ice 
and  wind,  and  later  on  the  charms  of  Spring  had  held 
us  enraptured  with  an  intense  interest,  watching  the  Lee 
move  out  of  the  lake  and  each  little  flower  uplift  its 
head,  opening  its  petals,  under  the  rays  of  the  sun. 


Our  Trip  Down  the  Chain  of  Rivers  and 
LaKes. 


THERE    was    just    eleven    on    board    the    "Old 
Glory":   our    family  and  my  brother's  partner 
and  four  passengers,  two  of  whom  were  friends. 
Then  my  brother  had  hired  two  men  as  carpen- 
ter and  pilot,  the  latter  representing  himself  to  be  an  ex- 
perienced river  man. 

Everything  possible  was  arranged  for  our  conven- 
ience. A  little  cabin  had  been  built  upon  the  barge  for 
our  use  only,  in  which  we  slept.  The  men  pitched  tent 
on  the  evening  that  we  tied  up,  and  cooked  for  the  fol- 
lowing day,  we  just  having  our  own  meals  to  prepare. 

We  left  Lindermann  at  one  p.  m.,  and  in  two  hours 
reached  the  portage  between  Lindermann  and  Bennett. 
The  rapids  between  these  lakes  are  much  dreaded  by 
every  one,  many  having  built  their  boats  in  Bennett  to 
avoid  passing  through  them. 

No  boat  as  large  as  our  barge  had  even  been  taken 
through  these  rapids,  and  the  cargo  being  very  expen- 
sive, my  brother  decided  to  hire  the  expert  pilots  to 
take  her  through  and  they  lined  her  down  the  following 
day. 

We  expected  the  pilots  near  noon  and  shortly  before 
that  hour  we  left  the  barge  and  hastened  over  the  por- 
tage to  an  eminence  where  we  could  view  the  boat,  as 
she  was  lined  through  Lindermann  Rapids.  We  soon 
reached  the  spot  near  the  swiftest  part   and    seated  our- 

42 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  43 

selves  upon  a  rock.  In  a  few  moments  the  barge  appear- 
ed with  four  men  on  board  and  three  on  either  shore  to 
aid  in  lining  her  down.  The  pilots  succeeded  nicely 
passing  all  dangerous  rocks,  and  after  everyone  thought 
the  barge  safely  through,  they  carelessly  allowed  her  to 
strike  a  rock,  which  made  quite  a  hole  in  her.  We  had 
anxiously  watched  the  "Old  Glory"  as  she  was  lined 
through  these  treacherous  waters,  and  felt  quite  reliev- 
ed when  we  saw  she  had  passed  the  places  upon  which 
we  feared  she  might  be  wrecked.  We  then  turned  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  little  incline  to  where  we  ex- 
pected her  to  land. 

We  had  walked  but  a  short  distance  when  we  met  a 
man  who  said — "Ladies  I  think  they  have  knocked  a 
hole  in  your  barge,  for  they  were  throwing  things  out 
when  I  passed"  and  hurrying  on  we  found  his  words  too 
true.  This  of  course  delayed  us  in  Bennett  two  days. 
My  brother  and  his  crew  went  to  work  and  soon  the 
barge  was  as  good  as  new.  Re-loading  came  next  and 
on  Thursday  at  five  p.  m.,  we  resumed  our  journey  to 
Dawson. 

We  had  sailed  but  a  short  distance,  near  twelve 
miles,  when  we  encountered  a  head  wind  which  caused 
us  to  go  ashore  ,  for  rowing  on  so  large  and  so  heavily 
freighted  a  vessel  made  such  slow  progress  that  it  seem- 
ed impracticable. 

Though  we  would  not  have  cared  to  have  remained 
here  and  delayed  our  journey  too  long,  yet  the  two  days 
we  lingered  in  this  pretty  little  spot  were  much  enjoyed, 
and  in  delight  we  climbed  the  mountains  and  gathered 
the  wild  flowers.  Picturesque  indeed  was  the  attrac- 
tive scenery  that  surrounded  this  little  mountain  place 
and  when  wearied  from  walking,  we  would  get  into  one 
of  the  little  row  boats  and,  accompanied  by  one    of   the 


U  81  'XSIIIXE  AND  SHADE 

gentlemen,  we  would  soon  get  refreshed  on  the  quiet 
waters.  The  evening  scene  particularly  impressed  me, 
the  mountains  sloping  directly  down  to  the  water's  edge, 
were  mirrored  on  the  bosom  of  the  lake — so  calm  were 
tin-  waters  that  not  even  the  tiniest  ripple  was  seen  only 
when  our  oars  disturbed  the  surface;  and  over  this  quiet 
scene  fell  the  clear  rays  of  a  brightly  setting  sun.  Re- 
luctantly did  we  retire  on  these  evenings. 

Finally  it  was  decided  on  the  third  day  to  start  and 
row  awhile ;  after  several  hours  of  rowing  we  found  a 
nice  spot  near  noon,  where  we  landed  for  dinner.  Soon 
after  our  family  party  left  the  barge  and  climbed  the 
nearest  mountain,  leaving  word  with  the  men,  if  a  favor- 
able wind  should  spring  up,  to  leave  one  of  the  little 
boats  for  us  and  sail  on.  This  was.  also  one  of  the  pret- 
tiest places  that  we  snubbed  in  on  the  entire  trip  and  on 
this  mountain  we  found  the  dainty  blue  and  white  for- 
get-me-not and  clumps  of  ferns  of  the  maiden-hair  spec- 
ies as  well  as  lots  of  wild  roses.  And  all  along  the  route 
were  all  sorts  of  flowers;  butter-cups,  daisies,  sweet- 
peas,  and  a  number  of  other  kinds. 

Birds  and  fish  abounded  and  sometimes  it  was  hard 
to  realize  how  far  north  we  were  when  daily  we  were  en- 
joying the  pleasures  of  flowers  and  birds  with  the  bright 
sunshine  and  beautiful  scenery. 

The  ptarmigan  is  a  beautiful  northern  bird  of 
Bnowy  whiteness  in  the  winter,  though  in  the  summer 
it  turns  a  grayish  mode.  Another  peculiarity  of  it  is 
that  its  feet  are  protected  by  a  thick  white  fur  in  the 
eold  season,  that  in  the  spring  it  loses.  The  pretty 
plumage  of  the  duck  is  dark  mode  and  white — the 
former  color  of  the  rich  leaden  hues  intermingled  with 
darkest  of  greens,  is  over  most  of  the  body  but  the  lat- 
found  on  the  breast. 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  45 

While  we  were  busy  picking  a  bouquet  away  up  on  the 
mountain  side  we  noticed  the  wind  had  changed,  and 
looking  down  at  the  barge  we  saw  our  crew  making 
ready  to  depart.  We  hurried  down  and  got  in  the  little 
boat,  and  as  the  wind  from  the  south  was  so  slight, 
my  brother  soon  rowed  ahead  of  the  barge,  and  gained  a 
pretty  little  island  where  we  landed  and  awaited  the 
barge.  Soon  she  came  sailing  along  and  we  were  taken 
on  board. 

The  wind  had  increased,  and  we  went  rapidly  spin- 
ning over  the  water  and  sailed  all  night,  out  of  Lake 
Bennett,  through  Caribon  Crossing,  thence  into  Little 
Windy  Arm.  The  latter  we  reached  between'  three  and 
four  in  the  morning  and  right  suddenly  were  we  awak- 
ened, the  clatter  of  the  things  falling  around  us,  and  the 
calling  of  the  pilot  on  the  outside  of  our  cabin  "Star- 
board" then  "Port"  followed  by  "Man  the  oars,"  made 
us  know  that  we  had  come  into  Windy  Arm  and  the 
waves  tossed  us  wildly  as  we  were  rowed  ashore,  for  it 
was  too  lat6  to  cross  Big  Windy  until  the  following 
morning  at  two  o'clock,  that  being  the  best  hour  to  ride 
on  these  wind-tossed  waves.  And  here  we  spent  an 
interesting  day,  climbed  a  rather  steep  mountain  on 
which  there  was  a  thick,  scraggy  growth  of  trees,  as  well 
as  great,  lofty  ones.  We  found  the  trail  up  this  incline 
quite  fatiguing,  but  we  felt  amply  repaid  when  we  gain- 
ed the  summit  and  had  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding 
country  and  water  over  which  we  had  passed,  and  also 
a  good  view  of  Big  Windy. 

We  could  see  three  pretty  little  islands  in  the  near 
distance  and  the  middle  one  had  the  perfect  form  of  a 
turtle.  These  islands  are  much  feared  by  all  who  sail 
on  this  water,  lest  amidst  the  angry  waves  their  boats 
should  be  thrown  ashore  on  one  of   them.     And    then   it 


46  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

might  take  days  ere  the  wind  and  waves  could  he  over- 
come and  the  boats  again  set  sailing  and  if  a  very  heavily 
freighted  vessel  was  cast  upon  these  shores  it  is  possible 
that  it  would  have  to  be  abandoned. 

After  resting  and  gazing  upon  this  natural  picture 
of  land  and  water  so  splendidly  spread  before  us,  we 
walked  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  and 
went  close  to  the  water,  were  we  seated  ourselves  on  a 
big  rock  to  watch  the  play  of  wind  and  wave  on  this 
dreaded  lake.  As  we  looked  upon  these  violent  waters, 
dashing  with  great  force  up  to  our  very  feet,  it  seemed 
that  the  breakers  of  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  Oceans, 
although  larger,  were  no  more  powerful  than  these.  This 
body  of  water  is  well  named  Big  Windy. 

That  evening  we  retired  quite  early  and  arose 
shortly  after  midnight,  getting  well  started  and  on  Big 
"Windy  before  two  a.  m. 

Oh  !  Our  crew  worked  hard  and  all  hands  were 
kept  busy  to  keep  the  wind  and  waves  from  driving  us 
ashore  on  one  of  these  islands.  But  we  passed  over  the 
wild  body  of  water  very  successfully,  and  snubbed  in  at 
a  quiet  little  cove  to  rest  from  the  strain  we  all  felt  and 
refresh  ourselves  with  a  breakfast,  which  we  took  more 
than  ordinary  pains  in  preparing.  After  which  we  were 
soon  sailing  toward  Tagish  Lake,  which  we  reached 
near  six  p.  m. 

We  remained  here  more  than  an  hour,  awaiting  the 
inspection  of  the  custom  otficers.  While  we  were  at 
Tagish  we  saw  four  Indians  under  surveillance  there  at 
that  time  for  murder  of  a  white  man.  This  crime  had 
been  committed  only  a  short  time  before  and  for  the 
motive  of  robbery.  The  Indians  were  all  very  young, 
fifteen,  sixteen,  nineteen,  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

An  officer  walked  to  and  fro  in  front  of   their  tent, 


iy  THE  FAR  NORTH  \1 

where  they  sat  chained.  They  were  bright,  intelligent 
looking  Indians  and  seemed  capable  of  realizing  the 
crime,  for  which  they  were  imprisoned,  although  they 
carelessly  smiled  when  questioned  in  regard  to  it. 

The  custom  officers  were  busy  attending  to  the 
steamboat  that  landed  just  prior  to  us,  which  was  the 
second  steamboat  to  make  this  trip  down  the  rivers  and 
lakes  to  Dawson,  one  having  sailed  a  few  days  pre- 
viously. 

While  awaiting  our  turn  we  walked  around  this 
government  station  which  seemed  so  shaped  and  laid 
out  to  make  an  excellent  little  watering  resort.  Quite 
a  pretty  little  place  in  the  summer  in  the  midst  of  shel- 
tering trees,  but  lonely  indeed  in  the  winter,  we  were 
told  by  those  who  wintered  there. 

Near  eight  p.  m.  we  left  Tagish  Station  and  sailed 
smoothly.  It  was  a  fine  evening  and  for  three  hours  we 
enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  sitting  out  on  deck  looking  at 
the  scenery.  Gradually  the  sjiow-capped  mountains 
that  were  distantly  visible  during  the  first  part  of  our 
trip  were  disappearing  and  the  days  were  quite  warm, 
although  the  nights  were  very  cool.  That  evening  we 
passed  a  little  Indian  village  and  before  we  retired  we 
were  on  Marsh  Lake — sometimes  called  Mud  Lake — and 
sailed  all  night. 

The  next  morning  we  passed  into  Sixty  Mile  River, 
a  very  pretty  stream  of  water  running  through  a  pictur- 
esque part  of  the  country. 

A  heavy  rain  storm  overtook  us  at  three  p.  m.  and 
we  snubbed  in  until  morning. 

The  following  day  we  enjoyed  smooth  sailing  and 
most  beautiful  scenery  and  at  four  p.  m.  we  landed  a  mile 
above  Miles  Canon. 

The  next  morning  we  left  our  barge  near  noon  and 


Is  SV  V8HI2TE  AND  SHADE 

hastened  bo  an  elevation,  where  we  could  see  our  boat 
go  through  tin-  canon.  She  could  not  be  lined  through 
these  waters  of  course.  One  man  stood  at  the  bow 
mid  another  at  the  stern,  and  two  men  on  either  side  at 
the  oars. 

The  entire  freight  was  left  on  board  and  '  'Old  Glory" 
most  successfully  went  through  both  Miles  Canon  and 
White  Horse  Rapids.  We  had  seen  a  large  steamboat 
pass  through  the  evening  before,  but  she  had  struck  a 
rock  and  made  a  small  hole  in  her,  so  we  were  glad  to 
see  our  barge  so  proudly  borne  through  these  noted 
waters. 

Miles  Canon  is  grand!  On  either  side  the  great 
cliffs  rise  perpendicularly  and  are  so  formed  by  nature 
that  they  seem  to  be  the  work  of  man  rather  than  of 
God,  so  very  regular  are  the  immense  pillars  that  appear 
like  columns  of'architecture,  and  the  red,  green  and  gray 
etone  harmonizing  in  natural  confusion,  lends  additional 
charm  to  these  massive  walls,  at  the  foot  of  which  the 
fierce  waters  raged. 

White  Horse  Rapids  seem  less  dangerous  to  me  than 
Miles  Canon ;  much  wider  and  not  bounded  by  high  cliffs, 
although  the  waters  plunge  and  roar  madly  over  the 
rocks  which  throw  the  foaming,  spraying  waves  high  into 
the  air. 

After  watching  a  number  of  boats  come  through 
and  having  been  joined  by  my  brother,  we  walked  quite 
a  distance  to  where  our  barge  was  landed.  We  saw  a 
number  of  Indians  camped  at  White  Horse  and  along 
the  trail. 

The  mosquitoes  which  had  annoyed  us  some  before 
were  more  numerous  and  irritated  us  quite  a  great  deal 
lure. 

As  we  walked  along  we  saw  a  number  whose  boats 


"I  D  GLORY   GOING  THROUGH  MILKS  CANON, 


I2T  THE  FAR  NORTH  49 

had  gone  to  pieces,  or  been  damaged  in  the  canon  or 
White  Horse  Rapids.  They  were  drying  outfits  and  re- 
pairing boats. 

After  a  five  o'clock  dinner  we  spent  a  pleasant 
evening  and  retired  early.  We  started  at  eight  a.  m. 
and  very  shortly  afterward  got  on  a  sandbar  which 
caused  our  crew  some  labor  and  a  good  wetting  but  de- 
layed us  only  a  few  moments  as  they  succeeded  in  push- 
ing us  off  very  soon. 

This  was  a  pleasant  day  of  smooth  sailing  and  fine 
views.  We  passed  the  Taceenah  River  and  soon  sailed 
into  Lake  Le  Barge.  In  the  afternoon  we  encountered 
heavy  swells  which  made  me  a  little  dizzy.  Toward 
evening  we  found  a  pleasant  little  place  where  we 
snubbed  in.  We  spent  a  couple  of  days  in  this  attrac- 
tive place  waiting  for  a  favorable  wind.  There  was 
one  advantage  in  being  delayed  as  it  gave  us  an  oppor- 
tunity of  exploring  so  much  more  of  the  country.  Every 
wnere  we  stopped  there  was  beautiful  foliage  and  lovely 
flowers.  And  there  is  a  great  variety  of  lichens  in  the 
North. 

On  the  third  day  we  started  again,  still  sailing  on 
Lake  Le  Barge.  This  lake  is  said  to  be  subject  to 
squalls,  but  we  were  favored  with  smooth  sailing  and 
pleasant  weather.  The  next  morning  we  sailed  into 
Thirty  Mile  River  which  we  dreaded  very  much  on  ac- 
count of  the  many  rocks  in  it.  Its  entire  bottom  is  said 
to  be  formed  of  rocks.  Shortly  after  sailing  into  the 
river  and  rather  early  in  the  morning  a  sudden  bend  in 
the  river  brought  a  great  rock  into  view,  and  had  my 
brother  been  at  the  stern  we  would  have  been  steered 
aright  but  he  was  in  the  cabin,  having  just  finished  break- 
fast. Stepping  out  on  deck  he  saw  the  pilot  was  taking 
the  wrong  course  and  that  we  were  in  imminent  danger- 


50  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

and  springing  to  the  bow  he  called  to  the  pilot  to  turn  in- 
to the  left  channel  but  it  was  too  late.  We  were  going 
very  fast  and  the  suction  at  this  point  was  strong.  Nev- 
er shall  I  forget  the  scene  and  my  brother's  voice  calling 
out:  "My  God!  We  are  going  to  strike  the  rock!  All 
stand  firm  !"  Then  came  the  awful  crash!  Almost  in- 
stantly one  of  the  little  boats  was  untied  and  in  a  mo- 
ment more  Mrs.  C,  little  Emily  and  I  were  seated  in  it 
being  rowed  to  shore.  The  men  succeeded  in  snubbing 
in  the  barge  just  as  she  was  sinking,  and  nothing  kept 
her  from  sinking  sooner  but  the  fact  that  all  the  flour 
was  placed  right  over  the  great  hole  made  by  the  rock 
and  so  tightly  were  the  sacks  packed  that  the  water 
made  slow  progress  in  pressing  its  way  in. 

The  loss  of  freight  was  great  but  a  large  amount 
was  saved  by  the  quick  action  of  not  only  our  eight  men, 
but  eight  others,  who  had  struck  the  same  rock  and  were 
camped  near,  repairing  boats  and  drying  outfits,  and 
they  kindly  aided  in  unloading  the  barge. 

The  hole  the  rock  made  in  our  boat  was  three  feet, 
ten  inches  by  four  feet  and  a  half, and  seemed  almost  the 
(  n t ire  end  of  the  boat.  Our  barge  was  borne  safely 
through  Miles  Canon  and  White  Horse  Eapids  only  to 
meet  its  doom  on  that  cruel  rock  where  eomany  had  the 
misfortune  of  going  to  pieces. 

It  took  just  four  days  to  dry  the  fruit  and  provisions 
that  were  worth  saving,  repair  the  barge  and  re-load 
ready  for  sailing  on  this  terrible  river.  During  this  time 
we  saw  a  number  of  boats  barely  escape  destruction  on 
the  same  rock,  and  on  the  last  day  two  boats  were  entire- 
ly destroyed,  outfits  lost  and  the  occupants  just  escaped 
drowning.  In  one  of  these  boats  were  two  women  who 
were  saved  by  my  brother  and  our  party.  One  of  them, 
a  young  German  girl,  was  on  the  rock  fully  fifteen  min- 


iy  THE  FAR  NORTH  51 

utes  calling  for  help  before  she  could  be  rescued.  All 
efforts  were  being  made  to  save  the  other  woman  whom 
the  current  was  fast  bearing  away,  and  when  the  men 
in  a  6mall  .boat  had  reached  the  latter,  my  brother 
reached  out  and  caught  her  by  her  long  hair,  thus  pull- 
ing her  in.  With  some  difficulty  was  the  young  girl 
reached  ;  in  fact  the  boat  could  not  be  rowed  very  close 
to  the  rock  upon  which  a  part  of  the  wreck  had  caught, 
and  it  was  to  this  small  portion  of  lumber  the  girl  clung. 
A  rope  was  thrown  out  to  her  by  one  of  the  men  in  the 
boat,  and  she  slipped  it  over  her  head  and  tightened  the 
slip-knot  herself,  after  which  they  drew  her  into  the 
boat. 

They  were  both  brought  to  our  tent  and  we  resusci- 
tated and  cared  for  them.  That  night  they  occupied 
our  tent  and  we  went  aboard  the  barge  into  our  cabin. 
They  were  strong,  robust  women,  and  the  next  morning 
they  were  all  right  and  very  thankful  to  us  for  having 
saved  them.  We  were  glad  that  all  was  ready  to  leave 
this  place  where  our  tent  was  in  sight  of  that  dreadful 
rock.  At  eight  o'clock  that  morning  we  started,  and 
had  a  trying  day, sailing  amidst  the  rocks  of  Thirty  Mile. 

At  one  place  a  reef  of  rocks  came  far  out  into  the 
water  in  cone  shape  and  it  seemed  as  though  we  surely 
would  strike  these,  but  managed  to  escape.  In  the  even- 
ing we  jeached  the  Houtalinqua,  where  we  rested  over 
night. 

Here  we  were  assured  by  my  brother  and  the  N.  W. 
M.  P.  and  others,  that  we  had  nothing  to  fear  now  but 
sand-bars  ;  that  we  had  passed  all  dangerous  rocks. 

More  than  two  hundred  boats  went  to  pieces  during 
the  summer  on  the  same  rock  we  struck.  This  last 
spring  the  Government  had  taken  most  6f  it  out,  by 
dredging  partly,  and  partly  by  blasting.     The  following 


SUXsr/IX/-:  AND  SHADE 

morning,  after  a  night's  refreshing  rest,  we  left  the  po- 
lice station  on  the  Houtaiinqua  and  soon  sailed  into  the 
Lewis  River,  on  which  we  anjoyed  smooth  sailing.  Near 
noon  we  reached  the  Big  Salmon  where  we  landed  for  a 
short  time.  There  is  quite  an  Indian  village  here  and 
we  found  the  walk  through  it  very  interesting.  The  In- 
dians are  of  the  Chilcat  tribe  and  wear  rings  in  their 
noses.  The  men  were  intelligent  looking  and  neatly 
dressed,  while  just  the  reverse  could  be  said  of  the  wom- 
en and  children,  though  the  former  had  evil  looking 
faces,  while  the  latter  had  a  good  kind  expression,  even 
though  lacking  intellectually.  The  Chief  wanted  to 
trade  for  little  Emily  and  was  so  earnest  about  it  that  he 
followed  us  clear  to  our  barge  with  his  arms  full  of  skins 
and  we  felt  happier  when  we  sailed  away  from  the  sta- 
tion. Of  course  my  brother  laughed  at  us  and  said  there 
was  no  danger,  but  he  admitted  that  the  Chief  was  in 
earnest  about  the  trade  and  we  feared  him,  not  knowing 
what  he  might  dare  after  he  was  thwarted. 

It  was  about  two  p.  m.  when  we  left  the  Big  Salmon 
and  only  sailed  a  couple  of  hours,  snubbing  in  earlier 
than  usual  to  have  a  sweep-oar  made,  as  our  stern  oar 
had  gotten  partially  broken  in  landing.  The  mosquitoes 
were  terrible  here,  andjin  fact  from  this  place  until  with- 
in a  few  miles  of  Dawson  we  were  greatly  annoyed  by 
them.  We  made  a  smudge  every  night  in  our  cabin  and 
drove  them  all  out,  and  we  put  camphor  ice  on  our 
faces,  3-et  still  we  were  troubled.  The  following  day  at 
seven  a.m.  we  started  again  and  at  noon  reached  the 
Little  Salmon.  Here  we  saw  another  Indian  settlement 
remarkable  for  its  cleanliness.  These  Indians  were  neat 
and  intelligent  looking  and  had  kind,  friendly  faces 
which  fairly  shone  with  good  nature  as  they  waved 
good-bye  to  us ;  especially  did  we  win  the  pleasant  smile 
of    the   squaws. 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  53 

In  the  afternoon  we  ran  on  a  sandbar  which  delayed 
us  an  hour.  The  scenery  continued  to  be  charming,  al- 
though we  saw  less  of  the  wild  rugged  class  but  more  of 
foot-hills  or  rolling  land.  Near  the  Little  Salmon  upon 
one  of  the  high  mountains  we  saw  a  number  of  wolves. 
Between  the  Big  Salmon  and  the  Little  Salmon  we 
passed  a  mountain  that  we  called  Mt.  Echo  on  account 
of  the  very  clear  echo  that  resounded  unusually  plain. 
A  remark  made  in  almost  the  ordinary  conversational 
tone  or  very  little  louder  was  taken  up  and  vibrated  just 
as  the  voice  naturally  sounded. 

One  of  the  pleasant  reminiscences  of  our  trip  was  the 
exchange  of  greetings.  Some  one  on  every  boat  we  met 
called  out  cheerily  to  "Old  Glory."  Probably  partly 
from  the  attraction  the  name  had  for  these  men  who 
were  traveling  so  far  away  from  "Old  Glory"  now  wav- 
ing over  the  battle  field,  and  every  once  in  a  while  we 
would  pass  a  boat  from  which  we  would  hear  the  sweet 
strains  of  music.  One  of  our  party  would  call  out 
"come  and  give  us  some  of  that"  and  jumping  into  a 
small  row  boat  one  of  them  would  come  over,  tie  to  our 
barge,  and  getting  up  into  it  would  play  for  half  an 
hour  or  more  on  the  mandolin,  banjo  or  guitar  and  then 
return  to  his  party  after  a  hearty  thanks  had  been  given 
him.  Perhaps  the  next  day  we  would  meet  the  same 
party  or  another  one  who  would  again  render  sweet 
music  for  us. 

That  evening  we  found  a  quiet  cove  where  we 
landed  and  passed  the  night.  The  next  morning  we  left 
the  little  eddy  at  seven  o'clock  and  neared  Five  Finger 
Rapids.  Quite  a  distance  from  the  Rapids  we  were 
taken  ashore  by  one  of  the  passengers,  Mr.  O.,  who  was 
a  former  friend  and  he  accompanied  us  in  the  long, 
tedious   walk   at   the  beginning  of  which  we  ascended  a 


:»l  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

very  steep  mountain.  From  this  high  point  we  looked 
upon  the  most  magnificent  scenery.  For  a  time  we  had 
a  level  walk  on  this  high  elevation  and  enjoyed  the  gor- 
geous view.  Then  we  walked  up  and  down  the  inclines 
and  at  last  through  a  forest  of  tall  as  well  as  those  of 
under-growth  trees — an  unbroken  trail  which  fatigued 
us  greatly  ere  we  reached  the  place  where  our  barge  was 
landed.  When  we  reached  Five  Finger  Rapids  how- 
ever, we  sat  down  and  rested  and  gazed  upon  this  pecu- 
liar formation  of  natural  beauty.  It  is  so  named  from 
the  five  great  rocks  through  which  the  waters  pass. 
Just  to  one  side  and  at  the  rear  of  one  of  these  rocks  is 
a  natural  bridge,  which  is  an  added  charm  to  the  al- 
ready pretty  formation. 

We  sat  here  quite  a  while  talking  and  laughing  and 
enjoying  the  view.  We  watched  several  boats  go 
through,  and  in  one  case  we  fairly  held  our  breath  lest 
the  boat  would  strike  one  of  the  rocks.  My  brother  and 
Mr.  S.  joined  us  and  feeling  refreshed  we  finished  our 
long  walk  and  got  on  board  the  barge. 

Rink  Rapids  closely  follow  those  of  Five  Finger  and 
we  remained  on  board  while  passing  through  these. 
The  turbulent  portion  is  on  the  left,  while  it  is  quite 
calm  and  smooth  on  the  right. 

On  the  night  of  the  Fourth  of  July  we  saw  a  beau- 
tiful sight  and  we  were  at  a  loss  to  say  whether  it  was 
a  sunrise  or  sunset.  The  sun  rose  and  set  at  so  nearly 
the  same  time  and  the  same  place  that  in  this  case  it 
was  somewhat  puzzling  to  distinguish  the  one  from  the 
other,  but  this  really  must  have  been  a  sunset;  there 
shone  in  the  heavens  a  great  fiery  ball  in  the  midst  of 
the  most  beautiful  opal  tinted  clouds,  and  in  some  way 
the  phenomena  of  which  I  cannot  explain  the  sun  seemed 
to  multiply  itself  and  there  were  several  along  the   hor- 


IX  THE  FAR  NORTH  55 

izon  ;  all  of  this  was  reflected  on  the  dark  blue  waters 
below.  As  we  stood  for  some  few  moments  in  a  rant, 
fixed  gaze  feasting  upon  the  gorgeous  picture  of  land 
and  water  and  sky,  the  fiery  red  changed  into  a  rose,  the 
rose  into  a  soft  pink,  which  faded  into  the  most  delicate 
hue,  and  the  blue  of  the  heavens  and  the  blue  of  the 
waters  beneath,  intermingled  with  the  rosy  pinks  of  the 
sun,  so  harmoniously  touched  up  here  and  there  with 
foliage,  gave  such  an  agreeable  mixture  of  color  that 
no  one  could  possibly  attain  it,  no  artist  could  possibly 
conceive  of  it.  It  could  be  but  from  the  hand  of  One 
Artist. 

And  when  on  retiring,  we  remembered  that  this  was 
the  night  of  the  Fourth  of  July  and  that  in  many  places 
throughout  America  that  thousands  were  enjoying  the 
sight  of  the  beautiful  and  brightly  colored  fire-works 
ascend  to  the  heavens,  we  felt  nowhere  was  there  seen 
a  more  beautiful  sight — nowhere  were  there  enjoyed 
grander  colors  than  we  had  seen  in  this  natural  picture 
of  a  setting  sun  and  we  will  never  forget  the  glory  of 
the  Fourth  of  July,  1898. 

The  next  afternoon  we  reached  Fort  Selkirk  where 
we  remained  that  night.  The  Fort  is  a  level  plateau  on 
a  prominent  and  very  pretty  site.  At  one  time  the 
Government  considered  making  it  the  capital  of  the 
Northwest  Territory.  We  spent  a  very  pleasant  after- 
noon here,  saw  the  spot  upon  which  the  original  Fort  was, 
walked  through  the  Indian  settlement,  which  has  a  num- 
ber of  well  built  houses,  though  most  of  the  Indians  were 
off  on  hunts.  We  saw  the  police  quarters  and  the  Mis- 
sion of  the  Church  of  England  which  has  a  nice  church, 
school-house  and  rectory.  As  we  walked  through  t lie 
Mission,  our  thoughts  were  saddened  when  we  recalled 
the  fate  of  the  Reverend  Lyons  from  England,   who  was 


56  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

on  his  waj  to' take  charge  of  this  Mission  when  lit-  waa 
drowned,  He  was  on  Lake  Le  Barge  during  a  storm  a 
couple  of  days  before  we  were — in  one  of  those  6udden 
squalls.  His  scow  was  too  large  to  land  in  the  strong 
wind  and  he  and  others  were  lighting  her.  He  was  in  a 
very  small  canoe  which  the  wind  capsized  and  he  could 
not  be  rescued,  though  strong  efforts  were  made  to  do 
so.     He  went  down  to  be  seen  nevermore. 

We  were  interested  in  the  Indian  graves  here  which 
were  very  peculiar  looking;  each  one  was  fenced  around 
and  was  decorated  with  all  colors  of  cloth,  grown  old  and 
ragged,  doubtless  from  being  worn  by  the  wind.  Here 
we  saw  a  fine  collection  of  furs ;  the  store  was  not  open 
to  the  public  but  the  gentleman  kindly  showed  us  the 
various  kinds  of  wild  animals. 

We  were  delighted  to  find  a  patch  of  the  nicest  sort 
of  greens  here  and  the  men  picked  a  large  amount.  We 
also  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  some  wild  currants 
with  which  we  made  a  fine  currant  roll. 

Just  across  from  Fort  Selkirk  was  a  very  high,  flat 
elevation,  a  palisade  said  to  be  the  result  of  recent  vol- 
canic eruption  not  more  that  eight  or  ten  years  ago. 

About  twenty-five  miles  from  here,  and  a  hundred 
and  twenty-five  miles  from  Dawson  we  landed  the  next 
day  at  a  place  called  "Lazy  Man's  Gulch,"  a  new  mining 
camp.  Colors  had  been  found  and  parties  were  digging 
for  bed  rock  where  they  expected  to  find  gold  in  good 
paying  quantities.  We  lingered  here  for  several  days 
and  in  fact  we  stopped  a  number  of  other  places  along 
the  last  of  the  route  to  investigate  the  camps  and  learn 
if  there  had  been  any  good  strikes  made :  but  in  this 
place  as  in  all  others,  although  gold  was  found  in  very 
small  quantities,  yet  not  sufficient  to  justify  our  re- 
maining. 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  57 

Soon  again  we  were  on  our  way,  stopping  here  and 
there  wherever  we  saw  a  mining  camp,  sometimes  only 
an  hour  or  so  and  again  a  day  or  two  or  even  longer. 
We  stopped  at  Stewart  City  over  night  where  there  were 
a  large  number  of  people.  The  place  stretched  quite  a 
distance  along  the  front  of  the  river  and  seemed  to  be 
in  three  separate  parts.  Some  jestingly  called  it  "Split 
Up  City"  on  account  of  many  having  dissolved  partner- 
ship here,  and  it  was  rather  remarkable  how  large  a 
number  who  had  tried  to  bear  with  each  other  and  kept 
together,  would  feel  that  they  must  separate  when  they 
reached  Stewart  City. 

The  trials  of  the  men  going  into  the  interior  of  this 
country,  the  arduous  labor,  the  severe  hardships,  the 
many  privations  were  strains  on  the  tempers  of  even  the 
best  natured  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  many  good  friends 
and  even  brothers  quarrelled.  A  friend  of  ours  told  us 
of  a  very  funny,  though  reckless  experience  he  had. 
One  of  their  number  was  very  cranky  and  officious,  or- 
dering the  others  around,  and  one  morning  right  in  the 
center  of  the  swift  flowing  rock-filled  Thirty  Mile, as  the 
current  bore  them  rapidly  along,  this  man  ordered  our 
friend  who  was  making  the  fire  to  hurry  and  do  it  dif- 
ferently. To  which  he  replied  that  he  was  attend- 
ing to  that,  and  in  answer  the  man  said  something 
very  impudent  upon  which  our  friend  jumped  up  and 
there  in  a  small  boat  they  began  to  fight  out  the  trouble. 
The  other  men  in  the  boat  could  not  help  seeing  the  hu- 
morous side  though  they  knew  it  was  reckless.  Our 
friend  succeeded  in  whipping  the  other  and  all  ended 
well. 

Domestic  life  has  its  worries  and  men  are  unused  to 
the  petty  annoyances  of  it.  I  think  that  many,  if 
not  all,  of  the  men  who  have  made  this  trip  into  the  in- 


58  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

teriorof  the  north,  will  return  to  their  homes  much 
more  appreciative  of  the  home  life  and  the  duties  of 
women,  the  majority  of  whom  lead  rather  busy,  indus- 
trioue  lives  even  though  in  many  cases  assisted  by  one 
or  more  maids. 

The  day  after  we  landed  at  Stewart  City  we  were 
again  sailing  on  the  bosom  of  the  great  Yukon,  this  time 
constantly  in  fear  of  sandbars.  This  river  is  full  of 
them  and  sometimes  a  large  barge  is  compelled  to  stay 
on  one  for  days  until  a  steamboat  comes  along  and  for 
a  good  round  sum  pulls  her  off.  The  last  day  of  our 
journey  we  got  on  one  but  were  fortunate  in  not  remain- 
ing on  only  a  little  over  an  hour. 

The  wild,  rugged  scenery  again  came  in  view  during 
the  last  part  of  our  trip  and  we  saw  another  of  those  palis- 
ades, out  of  which  came  a  beautiful  cascade  that  dashed 
in  foamy  whiteness  to  the  base  of  the  great  rocks. 

And  now  we  were  nearing  Dawson  City,  the  goal  of 
our  hopes,  the  destination  of  our  journey.  As  I  experi- 
enced it  then  day  by  day,  and  as  I  recall  it  now  from 
time  to  time,  it  was  a  most  pleasing  journey  and  one  of 
the  most  intense  interest.  True,  the  striking  of  the 
rock  in  Thirty  Mile  was  a  trial,  a  hardship,  a  dark  cloud 
upon  an  otherwise  sunny  picture,  yet  perhaps  it  was 
this  glimpse  of  shade  that  gave  unto  us  a  keener  appre- 
ciation of  the  bright  and  beautiful;  at  least,  I  may  say 
in  all  candor  that  since  we  came  out  of  it  all  right  I  en- 
countered nothing  in  the  way  of  hardships  in  the  trip  or 
climate  that  would  have  deterred  me  from  making  the 
journey  could  I  have  realized  the  experience  before  I 
started. 

Just  before  we  reached  our  destination  we  suddenly 
turned  around  a  projecting  point  of  the  mountain,  a  sort 
of  promontory  and  Dawson   City  was  in   sight  although 


I2f  THE  FAB  XORTH  59 

we  first  sailed  by  what  is  called  Klondyke  City,  which 
is  two  miles  from  Dawson  proper;  and  what  an  array  of 
tents  came  into  view  in  these  two  places.  As  we  passed 
Klondyke' City  we  noticed  quite  a  number  of  the  tents 
pitched  away  up  on  the  mountain  side  and  upon  rocky 
places  hanging  far  out  over  others  below  and  the  tents 
were  pitched  so  very  close  together  that  we  straightway 
made  up  our  minds  that  we  decidedly  did  not  want  to 
live  there.  Sailing  on  to  where  we  landed  in  Dawson 
we  passed  vessels  of  all  sizes  and  shape.  The  shore  was 
not  only  lined  but  there  were  six  boats  deep  upon  the 
waters  and  upon  many  of  those  large  enough  tents  were 
pitched. 

And  so  upon  the  evening  of  July  28th  we  landed 
at  Dawson  City,  a  very  delighted  little  company 
that  our  long  journey  was  over,  and  that  we  had  at 
last  reached  the  heart  of  gold  land. 


My  First  Impression  of  Dawson  City. 


WE  found  Dawson  City  very  densely  populated, 
a  little  "White  City  extending  far  out  into 
the  water.  Later  these  tencs  wefe  super- 
seded by  neat  log  cabins.  Those  who  had 
pitched  their  tents  on  their  boats,  either  went  out  upon 
the  creeks  or  far  up  on  the  mountain  side,  so  closely 
settled  was  the  most  of  the  ground  in  Dawson.  Our 
first  impression  of  Dawson  City  was  far  from  being 
pleasant.  Perhaps  it  were  partly  on  account  of  home- 
sickness, partly  from  the  fatigue  we  naturally  had  after 
so  long  a  journey,  however  delightful  it  had  been.  But 
I  think  not ;  rather  was  it  the  condition  of  Dawson  City 
for  I  had  never  looked  upon  a  more  miserable  place 
than  it  appeared  tc  me  upon  the  evening  that  I  first 
6aw  it. 

The  stores  and  business  places  were  crowded  to- 
gether terribly  and  the  streets  were  horribly  muddy 
with  great  holes  in  the  center  of  them.  Just  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  receiving  all  of  the  water  pouring  down 
its  side,  much  of  Dawson  was  swampy  and  covered  with 
black  muck,  and  at  the  time  of  our  arrival  nothing 
whatever  had  been  done  to  drain  it.  The  sanitary 
condition  of  Dawson  was  frightful,  but  aside  from 
this  unpleasantness  there  was  a  great  deal  of  interest 
to  be  seen  and  beard  as  one  walked  through  the  crowd 
that  was  constantly  going  to  and  fro  on  the  sidewalks 
and  in  the  streets  of  Dawson. 

60 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  61 

Many  sickened  and  died  during  the  first  days  of  our 
stay  there  from  typhoid  fever,  though  pneumonia, 
scurvy  and  divers  diseases  had  their  victims. 

This  discouraged  us  and  had  my  brother  not  located 
across  the  river  in  West  Dawson,  a  dry  place  compared 
with  Dawson,  built  upon  a  gradual  ascent  leading  to  the 
mountain  just  back  of  it,  we  would  have  in  all  probabil- 
ity returned  to  our  homes. 

In  West  Dawson  we  had  pure  air  and  good  water 
and  later  our  home  was  built  upon  a  little  knoll  that 
had  a  commanding  view  of  Dawson  City,  the  mighty 
Yukon  and  the  mountains  surrounding.  The  scurvy 
was  said  to  be  quite  prevalent,  though  personally  we  saw 
little  or  nothing  of  it.  The  physicians  seemed  almost 
outwitted  by  this  disease,  some  saying  it  was  the  result 
of  one  thing  while  others  gave  an  entirely  different 
cause,  however,  most  of  them  agreed  that  it  partially 
came  from  uncleanliness,  lack  of  sunshine  and  poorly 
prepared  food.  During  the  entire  summer  and  fall  the 
typhoid  raged  and  even  through  the  winter  there  were 
a  few  cases.  The  lack  of  drainage  of  the  great  amount 
of  wet,  marshy  land,  from  which  a  most  foul  odor  arose 
under  the  rays  of  the  sun,  together  with  the  impure 
water,  caused  this  disease  to  be  so  prevalent  during  the 
hot  period. 

We  felt  delighted  to  be  in  the  little  healthy  place 
in  which  our  home  was  built  where  there  was  no  sick- 
ness during  the  entire  year,  except  in  two  or  three  cases 
of  those  who  had  been  brought  down  from  the  creeks 
after  they  were  taken  sick. 

Dawson  City  is  probably  the  most  cosmopolitan 
mining  place  of  the  world.  There  one  meets  every  class 
of  the  human  race  and  this  alone  adds  interest  to  a  so- 
journ in  the  Klondyke. 


62  S  U2T8 II I  .V  /:  AND  SIIA  BE 

In  our  first  walks  through  Dawson,  if  one  noticed 
only  the  faces  of  the  ever  moving  throng,  he  doubtless 
was  reminded  of  the  World's  Fair  grounds  and  especially 
at  the  Midway  Plaisance  where  men  of  all  nationalities 
wended  their  ways. 

Dawson  City  was  overflowing  with  the  great  influx 
of  people, many  of  whom  had  been  enthused  and  induced 
to  come  into  the  country  by  the  exaggerated  ac- 
counts which  the  papers  published  from  time  to  time. 
Many  of  these  returned  on  the  same  steamers  which 
landed  them,  while  others  whose  finances  were  low 
waited  until  the  rivers  and  lakes  froze  over  and  walked 
out  over  the  ice.  Others  remained  in  Dawson  to  take 
up  a  vocation  to  which  they  were  entirely  unaccus- 
tomed; as  an  example  there  were  said  to  be  eight  college 
graduates  behind  saloon  bars,  two  of  whom  were  of 
Yale. 

As  to  hard  physical  work  the  very  best  classes  of 
men,  educated  and  cultured,  were  engaged  in  doing  it  in 
various  ways. 

Soon  after  we  landed  we  moved  over  to  the  West 
Dawson  side,  where  my  brother  pitched  our  tent  and 
fixed  us  comfortable,  after  which  he  began  to  prepare 
for  winter.  He  built  us  a  picturesque  home,  a  sort  of 
Queen  Ann  cottage  of  birch  poles;  the  bark  was  peeled 
off  of  a  portion  of  these  leaving  the  bare  mahogany  red 
log  which  was  a  pretty  contrast  to  the  pearly  gray 
bark. 

The  arhitecture  of  our  little  house  as  well  as  the 
building  of  it  was  quite  a  unique  success  and,  as  it  was 
both  planned  and  built  by  my  brother,  unaided  by  any 
one,  we  were  quite  proud  of  his  skill,  for  he  had  never 
had  the  least  experience  of  the  kind.  Everything 
inside  of   "Birch    Snuggery"   was  built  by   my   brother 


r.lKcil   SM'iiiiEliV   IN   curiiSE  OF  CONSTRl  CTION, 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  63 

also  and  was  rustic,  even  the  candelabrum  which  was  a 
picturesque  branch  of  a  tree  placed  upon  a  solid  founda- 
tion and  this  had  little  bright  tin  rests  for  the  candles. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  did  some  neat  upholstery  with  denim 
and  excelsior  on  the  divan  and  seats.  Cheese  cloth  was 
hung  upon  part  of  the  wall,  though  the  bare  birch  poles 
were  so  pretty  and  rustic,  chinked  with  green  moss  that 
we  left  some  of  them  uncovered.  The  windows  had 
dainty  hangings  of  dotted  mull  and  brussels  net  and  we 
had  two  screens  covered  with  pure  white  cheese  cloth 
and  each  of  the  spirals  tied  with  ribbon.  The  top  boards 
of  the  screens  were  covered  with  blue-print  pictures 
which  made  them  very  pretty.  Our  floors  were  covered 
with  denim,  dark  blankets  and  sheep  skin  rugs.  There 
was  not  a  purchased  article  of  furniture  in  the  house  ex- 
cept the  stove — though  we  had  a  few  toilet  articles  that 
we  had  brought  into  the  country  with  us,  such  as 
a  triple  mirror^  small  fancy  clock  and  silver  brushes 
and  combs,  et  cetera,  which  aided  in  giving  a  home- 
like appearance  to  our  Klondyke  house.  And  though 
we  cooked  and  ate  and  entertained  our  friends  in  one 
apartment,  you  would  have  been  surprised  at  the  view 
that  met  you  in  that  far  off  mining  camp,  had  you 
stepped  into  our  little  home  when  the  table  was  spread 
with  white  linen  and  the  few  pieces  of  cut-glass,  china, 
and  silver  were  placed  upon  it.  We  had  half  a  dozen 
pretty  sofa  pillows  stuffed  with  moss  which  added  to 
our  comfort.  I  must  tell  you  of  the  beautiful  thick, 
soft  moss  of  many  varieties  that  grow  in  the  north  in 
various  colors  from  dark  green  to  the  lightest,  and  of 
red,  and  brown  and  some  of  almost  pure  white.  The 
moss  grows  wonderfully  thick  and  when  one  steps  upon 
it  his  feet  are  almost  lost  in  this  deep,  soft  mass  of 
greenery,    far  softer   than  a   thickly  padded  velvet  car- 


(34  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

pet,  its  growth  varying  from  two  to  four  or  even  more 
Lnohee  high,  these  long  sprigs  springing  from  the  ground 
very  close  together.  There  are  many  kinds  of  lichen 
clinging  to  the  rocks  and  trees,  of  the  daintiest  of  color- 
ings and  shapes. 

Bodies  buried  a  few  feet  are  preserved  for  all  time 
— and  the  digging  of  a  grave  was  quite  an  undertaking, 
as  it  took  two  or  more  men  several  days  to  accomplish 
the  excavation  necessary. 

The  ground  never  thaws  only  little  more  than  a  foot 
down  from  the  surface.  Yet  the  trees  and  flowers, 
the  grasses  and  mosses  grow  so  luxuriantly,  and  im- 
bedded in  the  latter  are  found  many  tiny,  delicate  vines 
and  ferns,  and  vegetation  has  a  ready  growth  also — this 
luxuriance  is  probably  due  to  the  sun  shining  nearly  all 
the  time  during  the  summer. 

There  were  five  windows  in  our  little  house  and  the 
roof  which  was  what  you  call  a  hip-roof  with  a  gable  in 
front  was  formed  of  several  things.  First  tiny  poles  were 
closely  laid  together,  on  top  of  which  was  placed  moss 
and  over  this  boards  and  lastly  the  canvas  was  stretched 
upon  these.  A  square  sky-light  gave  us  a  great  deal  of 
comfort,  especially  on  the  short  dark  days  as  it  shed 
light  to  the  very  corners  of  the  room.  An  exact  repre- 
sentation of  our  home  is  seen  upon  the  frontispiece,  to 
the  left  of  which  may  be  seen  the  typical  miner's  cabin. 

During  August  though  the  days  were  lengthening 
still  it  seemed  daylight  all  night,  and  in  Dawson  the 
people  walked  and  talked  the  whole  night  long,  but  in 
September  the  days  perceptibly  changed,  the  sun  shone 
brightly  most  of  the  time  and  the  thermometer  regis- 
tered between  sixty  and  seventy-five  above.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  September  days  and  the  early  ones  of  October 
that  the  rich  tints  of  Autumn  were  seen.     Never  have  I 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  65 

beheld  more  beautifully  colored  foliage  than  in  the 
Autumn  that  I  spent  north.  The  leaves  of  one  variety 
of  trees  would  turn  yellow,  another  red,  and  still  others 
brown,  while  less  often  could  be  seen  a  dark,  deep  purple 
almost  black,  yet  those  that  were  the  most  pleasing  were 
the  variegated  ones,  bright  yellow  and  crimson  and 
green  combined. 

Our  door  faced  a  mountain  that  was  literally  cov- 
ered with  these  gay  bright  Autumn  leaves,  gay  in  the 
sunshine  and  we  revelled  in  the  pleasure  of  looking  at 
them  day  after  day  as  these  leaves  were  showered  on  the 
mountain  side  by  the  keen  winds  until  King  Frost  robbed 
us  of  this  delight.  In  October  the  cold  winds  made  us 
realize  that  a  long  Arctic  winter  was  approaching  with 
its  short  days  and  long  nights  and  very  soon  we  laid 
aside  our  shirt  waists  and  sailor  hats  to  don  our  winter 
garments.  The  change  came  rapidly  and  in  the  first  few 
days  of  October  ice  floated  in  the  river  which  continued 
more  or  less  until  November  4th,  when  the  river  entirely 
closed  over.  During  the  last  week  of  this  period  very 
immense  bodies  of  ice  were  borne  down  the  river  until 
they  gorged  a  short  distance  below,  and  at  night  partic- 
ularly we  could  hear  great  crushing  sounds  as  tha  ice 
jammed. 


til 


An  Arctic  Winter. 


THE  days  grew  very  short  until  they  were   only 
about  three  hours  long,  then  the  sun  rose  from 
ten  thirty  to  eleven  p.  m.,  and  near  two  p.  m. 
we  lighted  our  lamp  and  candles.     We  had  the 
pleasure  of  moonlight  nights  there   as   elsewhere,  only 
perhaps  more  brilliant  or  the  white  snow  diffused  or  re- 
flected the  light,  thereby  increasing  it. 

During  the  months  of  November  and  December  the 
thermometer  stood  between  ten  degrees  above  and  twenty 
degrees  below  most  of  the  time  though  for  nearly  a 
fortnight  we  had  very  cold  weather  more  than  fifty-five 
degrees  below.  The  last  week  in  December  we  had 
rather  remarkable  weather,  being  warm  enough  to  rain 
one  day. 

The  Aurora  appeared  ever  and  anon,  sometimes  like 
a  search  light  shooting  from  over  the  mountain  tops  past 
the  zenith  and  again  as  a  bright  border  around  the 
heavens. 

We  had  no  very  deep  snow  at  any  one  time  though 
it  snowed  for  a  while  nearly  ever  night  and  as  the 
weather  grew  more  severe  it  never  thawed:  so  gradually 
the  snow  became  very  deep  but  one  scarcely  realized  it 
for  each  day  the  previous  night's  snow  was  trodden  down 
and  so  the  trail  never  had  deep  snow  upon  it.  Though  at 
times  the  weather  was  very  cold  yet  we  were  able  to 
keep  warm  and  comfortable  and  even  when  the  weather 
was  between  fifty  and  sixty  below  zero  I  put  on  my 
wraps  ever)-  day  and  walked  out. 

66 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  67 

Then  the  cold  weather  could  be  borne  much  better 
because  it  was  so  very  still,  scarcely  a  bit  of  wind  and  it 
was  such  a  dry  cold  that  it  did  not  affect  one  as  it  would 
in  a  moister  climate,  yet  there  was  great  necessity  to 
watch  one's  self  leet  some  portion  should  freeze;  many 
would  freeze  a  cheek  or  ear  and  not  know  it.  I  had 
been  warned  of  this  and  I  would  feel  of  my  face  every 
few  moments  when  out  walking  to  see  if  I  was  all  right. 
I  did  not  get  the  least  frost-bitten  in  any  portion  during 
the  entire  winter.  Once  when  crossing  the  river  a  gen- 
tleman addressed  me  with  the  words,  "Lady,  I  think 
one  of  your  cheeks  is  freezing."  Thanking  him,  I 
turned  to  Emily  and  asked  her  if  it  appeared  so  and  she 
said,  "Yes,  Aunt  Lulu,  there  is  a  tiny,  little  white  spot 
on  your  right  cheek, ' '  but  I  did  not  feel  the  least  discom- 
fiture, yet  laughingly  bent  down  and  picked  up  some 
snow  and  held  it  to  my  cheek  though  I  did  not  think 
it  was  necessary.  It  was  a  very  common  thing  to  hear 
men  tell  each  other  to  feel  of  their  faces  and  see  if  they 
were  not  frozen  and  sometimes  they  would  find  their 
ears,  noses  or  cheeks  were  freezing  and  they  did  not  feel 
it.  The  pain  would  come  after  they  went  into  the 
warmth  and  those  portions  would  thaw  out. 

We  arose  very  late  and  of  course  a  portion  of  the 
day  went  attending  to  our  domestic  duties  after  which 
we  wrote  and  read.  We  took  in  some  good  reading  such 
as  Progress,  the  University  Course  of  Literature  and  our 
friends  kept  us  well  supplied  with  good  novels.  Some- 
times during  the  day  we  ascended  the  mountain  to  the 
right  of  our  home,  and  walked  away  into  the  forest  with 
my  brother ;  enjoyed  peeling  birch  bark  off  th6  trees 
which  we  separated  into  thin  layers  after  we  got  back  to 
the  house  and  stored  it  away  to  take  back  home  with  us. 
Once  we  noticed  one  or  two  green  leaves    peeping    from 


68  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

under  the  snow  and  stooping  I  pulled  up  a  little  vine, 
the  leaves  of  which  were  bright  dark  green  and  a  num- 
ber of  red  berries  on  it,  which  were  much  like  the  holly 
berries  though  the  leaf  was  tiny;  these  were  pretty  to 
decorate  our  home. 

The  evenings  were  spent  pleasantly  with  our  friends, 
one  and  another  coming  until  sometimes  we  had  from 
six  to  ten  visitors  at  one  time.  We  passed  the  time  these 
long  winter  evenings  in  music  and  conversation  on  Art 
and  Literature  and  the  current  topics  of  the  day — or  at 
least  as  far  as  we  knew  them.  The  gentlemen  brought 
their  instruments  with  them  and  we  all  joined  in  the 
merry  songs  that  resounded  in  our  northern  home.  The 
War  was  discussed,  for  though  it  had  virtually  closed  in 
August,  still  we  would  hear  some  sensational  news  of  its 
continuance  every  little  while.  It  was  annoying  to  hear 
the  many  false  rumors  afloat.  The  last  steamboat 
brought  in  mail  the  latter  part  of  October  and  it  was  two 
months — yes,  nearly  three  months — ere  we  received  our 
new  mail  over  the  ice  on  January  24,  though  some  old 
mail  was  received  in  December,  and  on  April  20  we  re- 
ceived our  last  mail  over  the  ice.  In  a  little  over  a 
month  the  first  steamboat  down  river  brought  in  mail. 
Always  the  day  after  the  new  mail  got  in,  the  post-office 
was  closed  to  sort  over  the  large  amount  of  mail,  and  the 
following  day  it  was  a  novel  sight  to  see  the  large  num- 
ber in  front  of  the  post-office  formed  into  a  double  line, 
and  this  extended  sometimes  for  two  blocks  up  and  down 
the  street,  each  man  awaiting  his  turn.  And  during  the 
severe  weather  it  was  hard  on  the  men — there  was  a  side 
door,  however,  where  ladies  were  waited  upon  immedi- 
ately. 

At  one  time  in  the  winter  there  were  a  large   num- 
ber of  reindeers  held  in  Dawson  brought    there  for    the 


IX  THE  FAR  XORTH  69 

purpose  of  conveying  mail  to  St.  Michael,  and  there 
were  also  a  few  Eskimos  with  their  own  reindeer  there 
for  a  short  time. 

We  spent  a  pleasant  Thanksgiving  which  was  shared 
by  a  half  dozen  of  our  best  friends.  We  had  not  the 
usual  turkey  dinner  though  we  had  quite  a  dainty  re- 
past of  oyster  patties,  shrimp  salad,  asparagus,  potatoes, 
tomatoes,  plum  pudding,  lemon  ice,  salted  almonds, 
and  coffee. 

Child-life  in  that  far  off  northern  clime  was  inter- 
esting, and  the  little  girls  and  boys  of  Dawson  and  its 
vicinity  enjoyed  life  very  much  akin  to  those  of  the  rest 
of  the  world.  In  my  daily  walks  I  met  children  of  all 
ages  from  three  to  twelve  years  happy  and  gay  in 
their  glee,  with  their  dogs  and  sleds.  Sometimes  a 
number  would  be  piled  on  the  Yukon  sleds  drawn  by  one 
or  more  dogs,  attended  and  cared  for  by  some  older 
friend,  though  at  times  they  would  be  in  no  one's  charge, 
the  older  children  driving  the  dogs,  and  calling  out, 
"Mush  on,"  "Gee  there,"  and  "Haw."  The  first  ex- 
pression is  from  the  French  Marche. 

These  little  ones  were  always  well  wrapped  and 
usually  wore  an  outside  garment  of  fur  called  a  "parka" 
that  goes  over  the  head  and  has  no  front  or  back  open- 
ing; to  this  is  attached  a  hood  that  fastens  close  over  the 
face,  revealing  only  the  eyes  when  it  is  necessary  to  pro- 
tect the  face.  This  garment  is  the  typical  northern  wrap 
worn  by  most  of  the  men  when  out  on  stampedes  or  long 
tramps  during  the  cold  season.  Now  and  then  you  would 
see  a  woman  wearing  a  parka,  though  the  majority  wore 
fur  coats  or  the  ordinary  wraps  they  were  accustomed  to 
at  home.  The  dogs  worked  faithfully  in  and  about 
Dawson  just  as  they  did  on  the  trail  from  Dyea  to  the 
Pass.     The  streets  of  Dawson  and  the    roads  leading  to 


70  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

the  gulches  were  thronged  with  these  dog  teams,  and  so 
quietly  did  they  travel  that  one  had  to  look  out  not  to  be 
run  over;  and  some  of  them  were  beautiful  creatures,  es- 
pecially  do  I  refer  to  the  interior  dogs,  the  Malamute 
and  the  Husky, which  are  of  the  wolf  species  and  are  fine 
specimens  of  a  canine.  Most  of  the  dogs  were  well 
treated  by  their  masters,  though  now  and  then  you 
would  come  across  men  who  were  very  cruel  to  these 
faithful  animals.  I  had  several  rides  behind  these  Yukon 
horses  but  never  attempted  to  drive  them  myself,  and 
one  day  a  young  girl  friend  about  thirteen  years  of  age 
came  to  take  me  out  for  a  ride.  She  had  two  dogs  har- 
nessed to  the  sled,  and  as  I  got  on  I  said :  "Now  Josie, 
do  you  know  how  to  manage  this  team?"  To  which  she 
answered,  "Oh,  yes  Miss  Craig ;"  and  the  words  were 
scarcely  out  until  they  started,  she  having  the  reins. 
We  were  going  down  hill  and  they  started  from  the  first 
to  go  very  fast,  Josie  trying  to  stop  them.  Well,  they 
got  away  from  her  of  course,  as  I  might  have  known 
they  would,  and  on  they  raced  faster  and  faster,  I  laugh- 
ing and  calling  to  them;  soon  I  saw  a  sawbuck  for 
which  they  seemed  heading.  I  quickly  threw  my  arms 
up  to  protect  my  head  and  face  if  we  struck  it;  fortu- 
nately we  just  grazed  it  and  soon  after  the  dogs  turned 
off  and  the  sled  upset,  I  rolling  down  the  incline.  My 
young  friend  came  rushing  down  in  distress  fearing  I 
was  hurt,  and  seemed  so  sorry  that  she  had  attempted  to 
guide  the  dogs,  but  I  soon  relieved  her  by  saying  that  I 
was  not  at  all  hurt  and  that  I  did  not  know  when  I  had 
had  such  fun.  After  we  got  down  on  the  river  I  got  on 
again  and  then  the  dogs  traveled  nicely.  Ten  or  twelve 
of  these  dogs  attached  to  a  Yukon  sled  embellished  with 
bells  and  bright  ornaments  is  a  pretty  sight.  Some 
black,    some    are    almost    pure    white,     others    a    deep 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  71 

cream,  and  again  you  will  see  black  and  brown  spots  upon 
the  white  ones.  They  are  very  affectionate  but  are 
great  thieves.  They  forage  every  night  and  almost  al- 
ways get  great  pieces  of  bacon  and  ham  from  the  caches. 
It  was  wonderful  to  see  how  they  would  open  cans  with 
their  teeth  and  paws.  A  Malamute  dog  was  worth  two 
hundred  dollars  and  upward  and  an  ordinary  dog  from 
the  States  brought  forty  dollars. 

The  children  ofttimes  would  accompany  their  fath- 
ers to  the  forests  to  get  wood.  One  day  I  met  a  father 
and  his  three  sons  crossing  the  river,  the  youngest  being 
between  four  and  five  years  old.  They  were  all  laugh- 
ing and  chatting  together  and  seemed  to  be  in  fine 
health  and  their  appearance  was  quite  picturesque  in 
their  parkas  and  mucklucks;  the  latter  are  fur  coverings 
for  the  feet  and  usually  reached  to  the  knees,  looking 
like  fur  boots.  The  little  one  was  somewhat  in  advance 
of  the  others  and  he  was  merrily  singing  "Old  King 
Cole  was  a  merry  old  soul,"  and  his  bright  eyes  and  rosy 
cheeks  and  happy  face  betokened  a  heart  e'en  as  merry 
as  the  jolly  old  king  of  "Mother  Goose's  Melodies." 

And  dear,  old  Kris  Kringle  slighted  not  these  chil- 
dren of  the  North:  childish  hearts  were  made  glad  with 
his  gifts  and  the  Christmas  tree  appeared  in  a  number  of 
homes  as  well  as  in  the  churches. 

So  the  great  sympathy  extended  to  children,  whose 
parents  took  them  so  far  from  the  homes  of  their  births, 
was  not  needed.  There  was  little  sickness  among  them 
and  I  personally  knew  of  several,  who  grew  stronger 
and  healthier  during  their  stay  in  Dawson.  One  advan- 
tage they  had  was  the  companionship  of  their  parents, 
of  which  they  had  much  more,  than  a  number  of  them 
were  accustomed  to  have  in  their  homes;  especially  was 
this  so  with  the  fathers  whose   business  cares  in  a  city 


72  SUXS///XI;  AND  SHADE 

gave  them  little  time  to  walk  and  talk  with  their  chil- 
dren. 

From  the  middle  to  the  last  of  December  were  the 
very  short  days  of  three  hours  length.  During  most  of 
December  at  least,  the  sun  did  not  entirely  appear,but  on 
January  2nd  its  whole  disc  was  seen  for  the  first  time  in 
days,  and  though  for  a  time  the  sun  shone  but  for  an 
hour  or  two,  yet  it  shone  very  brightly  ;  the  sundog  ap- 
peared in  the  heavens  quite  often  and  at  times  was  a 
pretty  sight;  it  was  the  size  of  the  regular  sun  and  dif- 
fused with  the  prism  colors. 

My  daily  brisk,  invigorating  walks  were  a  source  of 
much  pleasure  and  benefit  to  me. 

Christmas  eve  we  passed  at  the  home  of  friends  and 
with  them  partook  of  a  delicious  lunch  just  before 
twelve,  after  which  we  all  went  to  the  Catholic  Church 
with  a  mutual  friend  to  attend  Midnight  Mass  and  hear 
the  good  singing.  The  soprano  was  a  native  of  Bel- 
gium and  sang  very  sweetly  with  a  voice  of  culture. 
Christmas  day  we  decorated  our  home  with  evergreens, 
vines  and  some  ferns,  that  we  had  gathered  and  pressed 
in  the  fall.  Upon  Christmas  night  we  entertained  a 
number  of  friends  and  our  little  girl  enjoyed  her  Christ- 
mas tree  and  the  expressions  of  kind  thoughts,  which 
our  friends  took  pleasure  in  making.  We  had  some  fine 
mandolin  music,  accompanied  by  the  guitar,  and  our 
voices  chimed  together  in  making  merry  the  Christmas 
in  the  Klondyke. 

The  following  Saturday  evening  we  ate  five  o'clock 
dinner  with  friends,  a  young  married  couple  from  Chi- 
cago, and  that  evening  much  the  same  company  that 
composed  our  Christmas  gathering  met  with  these 
friends  to  watch  the  old  year  out  and  the  new  year  in. 

The  night   was   quite  cold   but  clear   and   a  lovely 


IK  THE  FAR  NORTH  73 

moon  shone  forth.  We  passed  several  hours  with  games 
and  music,  and  when  twelve  o'clock  came,  we  all  stepped 
out  upon  the  little  veranda  and  listened  to  the  various 
whistles  and  sounds  made  by  the  Daweonities  to  wel- 
come the  year  1899.  Several  of  our  party  joined  in  with 
the  bugle  calls  on  the  cornet. 

Somewhat  chilled,  we  went  in  and  were  gladdened  by 
a  dainty  lunch.  After  wishing  each  the  other  "Many 
happy  returns  of  the  day,"  we  bade  our  host  and  hostess 
good-night  and  began  to  descend  from  the  eminence 
upon  which  their  home  stood.  I  think  it  took  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety  steps  to  reach  the  street  and  there  was 
much  merriment  as  now  and  then  one  of  us  would  fall. 
So  ended  our  holidays,  and  pleasant  they  were,  even 
though  we  were  deprived  of  home  and  dear  ones,  and 
were  so  far  away  from  the  rest  of  the  world. 

During  the  winter  there  was  a  great  deal  of  travel 
in  and  out  of  Dawson  over  the  ice.  In  February  and 
March  there  were  five  hundred  who  went  out  of  the 
country  either  afoot  or  with  dog  teams,  and  seven  hun- 
dred who  came  in  it. 

And  now  we  noticed  the  days  beginning  to  lengthen 
— the  long  pleasant  evenings  grew  shorter.  Our  Arctic 
winter  had  been  an  agreeable  surprise  to  us,  for  we  lit- 
tle realized  we  would  have  the  good,  social  times  we  had. 
Good  books  and  interesting  friends  with  their  violins, 
mandolins,  guitars  and  banjos,  helped  us  to  while  away 
the  long  evenings  and  we  had  much  pleasure  in  our  mu- 
sicals. 

The  Aurora  visited  us  every  once  in  a  while  and  was 
always  a  delight  to  watch  as  it  flashed  here  and  therein 
the  heavens,  some  times  appearing  low  right  around  the 
northern  part  of  the  sky,  and  again  in  triangular  chape6, 
the  apex  reaching  to  the   zenith;   these  lights,  phenom- 


7  1  SUNSII1VI-:    AND  SHADE 

enal  to  the  North,  would  appear  in  a  milky  whiteness,  a 
Nile  green,  or  in  the  prism  colors. 

We  were  surrounded  on  every  side  with  snow — on 
mountain,  river  and  vale  the  same  white  mantle  was 
spread  and  often  in  the  mornings,  this  picture  of  nature 
was  fascinating  in  the  extreme.  During  the  night 
heavy  hoar-frost  had  silently  crept  over  the  roofs  and 
over  every  branch  of  the  trees  and  when  the  sun  first  ap- 
peared before  its  effect  was  felt,  the  beauty  of  the  win- 
ter scene  was  increased  and  we  had  much  delight  in 
looking  upon  it. 

There  is  a  little  Indian  village  a  couple  of  miles 
from  Dawson  on  the  Yukon,  which  is  quite  a  civilized 
little  community.  It  is  a  mission  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land and  had  a  school  under  the  care  of  a  gentleman, 
who  also  held  religous  service  with  them.  The  Indians 
are  pleasant  and  friendly.  Chief  Isaac  seemed  delight- 
ed to  chat  with  you  though  he  has  not  a  very  intelligent 
use  of  our  language.  In  going  through  the  Indian  vil- 
lage one  day  I  saw  a  large  number  of  fire  arms  on  exhi- 
bition, and  upon  inquiry  we  learned  that  all  of  these  be- 
longed to  Chief  Isaac  and  that  the  office  of  the  Chief  is 
determined  upon  by  the  number  of  arms  possessed — the 
one  having  the  greatest  number  succeeds  in  gaining  the 
leadership  of  his  people. 

Miners  have  their  good  times  and  play  many  a  joke 
on  each  other.  The  following  little  story  was  told  to  me 
by  one  of  the  old-timers.  In  Eighteen  Ninety-six  the 
candles  became  very  scarce  and  could  hardly  be  obtain- 
ed at  all — at  this  time  several  of  the  miners  got  together 
and  schemed  a  good  joke.  They  took  condensed  milk, 
and  weakening  it,  froze  it  into  molds  shaped  like  can- 
dles— then  they  placed  a  number  of  these  in  a  box  and 
took  them  down  to  the  restaurant  and  saloon,  where  they 


IN  THE  FAR  NOKTH  75 

drove  quite  a  bargain  with  the  proprietor,  who  was  very 
glad  to  get  candles  at  any  price — and  particularly  to  be 
able  to  trade  for  them  with  drinks.  The  latter  of 
course  then  in  that  country  were  very  expensive.  Well, 
he  took  the  box  and  placed  it  behind  the  counter  and 
then  began  to  serve  drinks  to  the  little  crowd.  In  a  lit- 
tle while  after  the  beverage  was  enjoyed  he  discovered  a 
white  liquid  running  on  the  floor  and  of  course  it  did 
not  take  long  for  him  to  understand  how  he  had  been 
taken  in,  but  he  took  the  joke  very  good-naturedly. 

The  men  of  course  did  their  own  cooking  and  all 
of  them  did  not  enjoy  this — but  managed  to  have  their 
fun  out  of  it.  When  one  would  be  frying  doughnuts,  a 
friend  might  accidently  drop  in,  and  of  course  would  be 
asked  to  have  some,  or  would  help  himself.  When  he  left 
he  would  go  around  and  inform  the  entire  camp  that 
"Joe  is  frying  doughnuts"  and  this  information  would 
start  one  after  another  until  all  had  called  and  eaten  of 
"Joe's  doughnuts"  and  the  poor  man  would  have  little  or 
none  left  for  himself — but  he  would  soon  have  a  chance 
to  pay  the  others  back  and  so  they  enjoyed  themselves. 
A  number  of  those,  who  have  been  among  the  fortunate 
and  have  made  immense  fortunes  in  the  Klondyke,  are 
plain,  uneducated  men. 

I  heard  something  of  one  of  these  men,  who  had 
been  in  the  interior  for  years.  He  had  had  the  scurvy 
and  had  lost  all  of  his  teeth,  but  this  little  German  bad 
the  good  fortune  of  having  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars of  Klondyke  gold. 

Last  year  when  he  went  out  of  the  country  he  was 
entertained  in  Chicago  at  one  of  the  very  elegant  homes, 
where  he  was  given  beautiful  appartments  in  which  were 
a  number  of  mirrors  and  afterward  he  remarked  "Why 
even  the  comb  was  silver  and  everywhere  I  could  see   my 


76  8  UN  8 II I XE  A  ND  SUA  DE 

little  ugly  self — and  oh  !  I  was  happy  to  get  out  of  that 
house."  Ana  when  he  was  entertained  at  the  club  by 
his  host  he  was  under  great  embarrassment  for  fear  he 
would  be  very  awkward  and  show  his  lack  of  culture — 
but  by    watching  the  others,    he   got   along   very    well. 

Another  funny  little  tale  is  told  of  one  of  the  old 
timers  coming  out  and  stopping  in  San  Francisco ;  he 
went  to  the  Cathedral  and  seeing  the  priest  and  the  little 
choir  boys  with  their  suplices — he  took  these  garments 
for  parkas  and  when  the  holy  incense  was  burned  he 
said  "They  made  a  smudge  when  there  wasn't  a  darned 
mosquito  there." 

Travel  in  and  out  of  Dawson  to  the  different  creeks 
on  which  gold  had  been  found  in  large,  or  small  quanti- 
ties was  fine  in  the  winter  and  in  the  spring  as  long  as 
the  snow  was  at  all  firm,  but  after  the  thawing  com- 
menced it  was  terribly  muddy,  and  the  tramps  to  and 
from  the  mines  were  very  fatiguing  to  the  men  and  some 
of  them  were  quite  exhausted  after  walking  the  long  dis- 
tances ;  for  of  course  the  sled  had  to  be  abandoned  soon 
after  the  thawing  commenced  and  most  of  the  travel  was 
done  on  foot — sometimes  the  men  going  into  mire  al- 
most up  to  their  knees. 

A  great  deal  could  be  said  about  the  trials  and 
hardships  that  the  men  endured  in  that  country — the 
most  of  them  did  their  own  cooking  and  laundry  and  got 
their  own  wood,  which  they  sawed  and  split.  But  all 
this  is  endured  in  any  new  mining  country. 

But  going  on  stampedes  in  the  extremely  cold 
weather  is  a  departure  to  other  endurances. 

A  few  worn  out  and  exhausted  sat  or  lay 
down  to  rest  and  have  been  found  frozen  to  death  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  Others  have  lost  their  way  in  a  blind- 
ing snowstorm  and  almost  yielded  up  life  and  have  lost 


IX  THE  FAR  NORTH  77 

portions  of  their  legs  and  feet,  and  yet  after  recovering 
again  joined  in  the  wild  rush  after  gold — still  courag- 
eous and  undaunted.  "Hope  springs  eternal  in  the 
humanbreast."  We  had  a  friend  that  had  gone  on  one 
of  these  stampedes  recklessly  dressed. 

It  was  during  a  warm  spell  and  he  had  on  rubber 
boots  and  one  pair  of  hose.  Without  preparing  for  a 
change  in  the  weather,  he  joined  a  party  of  his  friends 
and  hastened  to  the  strike.  He  got  located  and  return- 
ing the  weather  changed,  the  thermometer  fell  very  low 
and  he  froze  a  portion  of  his  feet.  When  he  undressed 
them,  the  entire  skin  of  the  soles  of  his  feet  came  off  and 
stuck  to  his  hose.  He  was  confined  to  his  cabin  for 
three  months  and  at  last  had  to  have  his  big  toes  ampu- 
tated. So  I  might  go  on  and  relate  sore  trials  and  severe 
hardships  that  were  experienced  by  these  men  rushing 
blindly  after  the  goddess  Gold,  though  if  one  gives  the 
right  care  to  his  person  and  clothing,  dwelling  place  and 
eating,  the  climate  of  the  north  is  far  from  being  an  un- 
healthful  one. 

We  enjoyed  our  winter  very  much  and  the  time 
fairly  flew.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  religious 
services  at  the  different  churches  from  time  to  time  and 
was  interested  in  the  success  of  the  various  efforts  made 
by  them  to  fotward  the  good  work. 

Now  and  then  we  were  invited  to  join  our  most  inti- 
mate friends  in  evenings  of  pleasure  either  in  their 
cabins  or  in  vacant  ones  rented  for  the  time.  On  Feb- 
ruary 22nd,  three  of  the  gentlemen  rented  a  cabin  and 
decorated  it  and  put  up  a  stove.  Everything  was  ar- 
ranged nicely  for  a  little  private  gathering  on  the  birth- 
day evening  of  the  "Father  of  Our  Country,"  and  we 
spent  a  very  pleasant  time  with  about  twenty  of  our 
friends.       Those   who   were  fond  of  dancing   had   that 


78 


SUXSHINE  AND  SHADE 


pleasure  after  the  sweet  strains  of  the  mandolin,   though 
much  of  the  evening  was  spent  in  intellectual  games. 

All  news  either  in  letter,  magazines  or  papers  came 
to  us  about  a  month  late — sometimes  later — but  one 
may  easily  see  that  our  winter  was  interesting  and  pleas- 
ant and  that  "the  long  dark  nights  of  an  Arctic  win- 
ter" may  be  and  were  passed  agreeably.  We  shall  never 
forget  the  merry  social  times  we  had  in  our  little  north- 
ern home  amidst  the  ice  and  snow,  surrounded  by  friends 
of  almost  all  nationalities. 


The  Spring. 


DURING  March  the  thermometer  registered  be- 
tween ten  below  and  twenty  above  most  of  the 
time,  though  there  were  warm  days  when  it 
stood  forty-five  above  zero.  The  snow  of 
course  was  beginning  to  melt  but  there  was  so  much  of  it, 
and  the  nights  still  remained  so  cold  that  the  thawing 
made  slow  progess,  and  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  it 
was  a  spring  month. 

We  had  a  few  very  windy  days  in  March  but  more 
in  April.  St.  Patrick's  Day  was  duly  celebrated  and  a 
goodly  procession  was  formed,  each  wearing  his  badge 
of  green,  and  the  music  of  the  band  gladdened  the  hearts 
of  the  people. 

The  Aurora  had  been  giving  us  nightl}*  exhibitions, 
but  we  had  never  seen  it  very  gorgeously  display  the 
prism  colors,  or  had  we  ever  heard  the  electrical  sounds 
which  are  said  to  accompany  these  lights. 

On  the  night  of  the  twenty-first  of  March  we  had 
the  gratification  of  seeing  the  Aurora  Borealis  in  great 
brilliancy.  The  morning  after  in  writing  in  my  diary 
of  the  delight  and  pleasure  I  had  experienced  the  night 
before  I  wrote:  "I  still  feel  under  the  spell  of  those 
lovely  lights  of  the  Aurora.  Indeed  I  seem  to  be  yet  in 
a  fascinating  dream,  though  a  realistic  one."  And  in  the 
afternoon  I  wrote  to  my  home  and  attempted  to  describe 
these  northern  lights.  I  will  quote  from  that  letter 
written  by  me  while  I  was  yet  under  the  influence  of  the 
magic  beauty  of  the  Aurora  : 

79 


80  8  I  XS II 1 XE  AND  SH A  DE 

"Now  I  want  very  much  to  describe  something  I  saw 
lasl  night  but  I  fear  I  am  incapable  of  doing  so.  It  was 
;i  fine  exhibition  <>f  one  of  the  wonders  of  nature,  the 
Aurora  Borealis,  for  though  theories  have  been  advanced, 
yt  i  no  certain  decision  has  ever  yet  been  arrived  at  con- 
cerning its  cause.  Some  have  lately  most  absurdly 
brought  forth  the  idea  that  it  is  the  sun  shining  on  the 
icebergs  of  the  far  north,  but  the  most  feasible  theory 
is  that  it  is  a  result  of  electricity. 

'  'It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  evening  and  earlier  we 
had  noticed  bright  white  lights  of  odd  shapes  flitting 
about  in  all  parts  of  the  heavens,  though  starting  in  the 
South  rather  than  the  North. 

"We  were  chatting  with  friends  about  nine-thirty 
p.  m.  when  after  a  hasty  rap  in  came  our  friend  Mr.  J., 
to  tell  us  of  the  grand  sights  on  the  outside. 

"We  all  rushed  out  and  at  the  time  I  did  not  believe 
it  possible  to  describe  it  but  will  attempt  it. 

"It  was  the  grandest  sight  of  my  life  and  strongly 
indeed,  did  nature  appeal  to  my  sense  of  the  beautiful. 
The  entire  canopy  of  the  heavens  was  covered  with  an 
ever  moving  ever  changing  mass  of  beautiful  colored 
lights. 

"The  celestial  body  seemed  to  be  a  living  thing  of 
brilliant  beauty.  In  many  places  the  prism  colors  were 
all  brought  clearly  out  and  again  you  could  see  two  or 
more,  a  lovely  rich  purple  combined  with  a  deep  green, 
and  so  on  in  a  most  harmonious  effect. 

"They  seemed  to  be  chasing  each  other  in  lovely 
confusion,  suddenly  coming  together  and  again  quickly 
separating  in  the  tumult. 

"Then  there  were  times  when  we  could  hear  the 
■electrical,  whirring  sound,  as  we  silently  viewed  the 
Aurora. 

"A  part  of  the  time  the  wild  disorder  of  magnificent 
confusion  gave  place  to  a  gentler  motion  and  it  seemed 
more  like  a  great  piece  of  the  fluffiest  of  tulles  daintily 
and  airily  shaken  to  and  fro  under  strong  bright  calcium 
lights. 

"Oh!  words  are  inadequate  to  express  the  delight 
these  startlingly  beautiful  colored  lights   of  the  North 


/ 


BLOSSOMS  Ki;<>M  'I'll  E  FAR  NORTH. 


I2T  THE  FAR  NORTH  81 

gave  to  one  as  he  stood  viewing  them.  The  electric 
fountain  of  the  World's  Fair  was  to  them  as  the  faint- 
est streak  of  the  light  of  the  dawn  is  to  the  glare  of  the 
noonday  sun." 

And  perhaps  I  can  add  nothing  more  to  the  above 
to  make  it  more  realistic — though  others  might.  In  all 
candor  I  never  looked  upon  such  magnificent  coloring ! 
such  gorgeous  brilliancy !  such  picturesque  beauty!  We 
stood  for  half  an  hour  enraptured,  spellbound,  until  the 
prism  colors  all  left  the  heavens  and  only  the  white 
light  remained.  Then  somewhat  chilled  we  went  in  to 
warm.  Our  friends  soon  bade  us  good  night  and  we 
retired  dazed  almost  to  muse  over  the  gorgeous  splendor 
of  Aurora  Borealis. 

On  April  second  we  dined  over  in  the  city,  guests  of 
a  friend,  at  the  best  restaurant  and  were  served  with  a 
fine  dinner,  and  two  weeks  later  we  were  given  the 
pleasure  of  another  dining  at  the  same  place  and  the 
menu  was  much  more  elaborate.  The  last  was  given  in 
compliment  to  our  family,  and  there  were  twelve  covers 
laid.  One  of  our  hosts  was  a  Scotchman,  a  physician, 
the  other  came  from  my  native  state,  Missouri. 

At  both  of  these  dinners  the  spread  was  served 
very  nicely  and  in  courses.  I  think  many  would  be  in- 
terested in  the  list  of  eatables  and  a  few  doubtless  much 
surprised  at  it.     Below  is  the  Easter  menu  : 

M  KNU. 
SOl'l'. 

Green  Turtle  with  Sherry. 

PISH. 

Anchovies  on  Toast. 


Boiled  Leg  of  Mutton,  Caper  Sauce. 


82  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

ENTREES. 

Small  Moose  Steak  aux  Petitpois.         Fresh  Oyster  Patties. 
Cream  Puffs. 

BOASTS. 

Sirloin  of  Beef  au  Jus. 

Young  Turkey,  Cranberry  Sauce. 

VEGETABLES. 

Mashed  Potatoes.  Hubbard  Squash. 

DESSEBT. 

English  Plum  Pudding,  Brandy  Sauce. 
Assorted  Pies.  Cake.  Cheese.  Coffee. 

The  snow  was  melting  fast  and  the  creeks  were  run- 
ning, the  trail  on  the  river  was  getting  slushy  and  soon 
we  began  to  watch  for  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice.  Pre- 
vious years,  when  the  "Mighty  Yukon"  broke,  the  ice 
had  piled  high  in  pyramids  just  below  Dawson,  near  the 
Indian  village  and  we  hoped  for  a  gorgeous  sight,  al- 
though we  could  not  expect  it,  for  many  had  said  the 
winter  had  been  much  milder  than  usual  and  the  Spring 
had  come  more  gradually. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  April  we  ascended  the 
mountain  just  back  of  West  Dawson  and  gathered  a 
number  of  pretty  flowers,  the  variety  some  called  the 
crocus,  others  the  anemone,  but  I  thought  it  quite  like 
our  clematis  though  it  grew  differently.  It  is  the  large 
purple  flower  in  the  colored  plate.  It  grew  on  a 
shrubby  little  plant  close  to  the  ground. 

Lowell's  words  were  recalled  to  my  mind  on  these 
Spring  days : 

"We  may  shut  our  eyes  but  cannot  help  knowing 

That  skies  are  clear  and  grass  is  growing. 

The  breeze  comes  whispering  in  our  ear, 

That  dandelions  are  blossoming  near — 

That  maize  has  sprouted,  that  streams  are  flowing, 

That  tlic  river  is  bluer  than  the  sky; 

That  the  robin  is  plastering  his  house  hard -by." 


I2T  THE  FAR  NORTH  83 

From  this  time  on  flowers  were  in  bloom,  though 
we  left  too  early  to  enjoy  the  roses,  which  were  bud- 
ded, but  not  in  bloom.  After  having  enjoyed  the  pleas- 
ure of  the  many  flowers  and  grasses,  it  seems  odd  to 
hear  people  say :  "Why  grass  and  flowers  do  not  grow 
and  bloom  so  far  North,  do  they?"  And  many  have 
made  this  remark  to  me  and  cannot  believe  that  there  is 
aught  in  that  far  northern  country  but  ice  and  snow. 
Nature  is  something  the  same  the  world  over  and 
while  North  I  most  thoroughly  enjoyed  communion 
with  her,  as  well  as  took  pleasure  in  talking  about  na- 
ture. Among  our  numerous  friends  there  were  educat- 
ed botanists  and  geologists,  with  whom  I  took  pleasure 
in  discussing  nature  and  her  characteristics.  One  in 
particular  talked  very  interestingly  of  the  upheavals  of 
the  earth's  surface  and  had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his 
subject.     He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard. 

The  majority  of  the  men  in  the  Klondyke  were  edu- 
cated men,  many  of  them  fresh  from  college.  Others 
had  laid  down  successful  professions  to  join  the  mad 
race  after  gold,  and  nearly  all  seemed  to  be  men  of  in- 
telligence and  at  least  belonged  to  the  middle  class. 
The  slums  were  not  represented,  or  at  least  exceptional- 
ly so,  if  at  all. 

The  first  of  May  the  sun  rose  at  four-thirty  and  set 
at  eight-thirty.  Upon  the  sixth  of  May  I  crossed  the 
river  for  the  last  time  on  the  ice,  but  my  brother  and  a 
number  of  the  men  continued  to  cross  for  some  time. 
On  that  day  I  stepped  above  my  ankles  in  water,  and 
once  I  fell  my  foot  going  down  further  until  the  water 
reached  almost  to  my  knees,  not  going  over  the  tops  of 
my  rubber  boots,  however,  so  I  did  not  care  to  risk 
crossing  any  more,  and  when  my  brother  came  home  in 
the  evening  he  told  me  it  would  be  better  for  me  not  to 
cross  again. 


si  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

The  men  continued  crossing  until  May  fifteenth, 
when  several  fell  in  but  were  helped  out,  though  there 
was  one  drowned,  a  civil  engineer  in  the  government 
service.  The  ice  broke  under  him  near  Klondyke  City 
and  it  being  very  early  in  the  morning  no  one  was  near 
to  go  to  his  rescue,  so  the  poor  man  died  clinging  to  the 
ice,  taking  precaution  to  throw  his  book  of  government 
records  on  the  bank.  Then  there  was  no  more  crossing 
and  at  four-fifteen  on  May  seventeenth  we  heard  loud 
shouting  and  looking  we  saw  the  river  had  broken  and 
the  trail  over  which  we  had  gone  so  many  times  was 
moving. 

This  continued  for  two  hours  then  it  stopped  until 
nine  forty-five  when  the  ice  began  again  to  move  and  it 
was  an  interesting  sight,  though  not  the  wonderful  pil- 
ing up  of  the  ice  that  we  had  hoped  for.  There  was  a 
little  jam  every  now  and  then  which  lasted  hours,  but 
the  pyramids  of  ice  that  we  had  heard  talked  of,  did  not 
appear.  We  lingered  long  in  the  gloaming  and  watched 
it  until  the  chill  of  the  evening  drove  us  in. 

For  several  days  the  ice  continued  running,  though 
growing  smaller  and  less  frequent.  The  men  began 
crossing  on  the  nineteenth  but  I  did  not  cross  until  the 
twenty-fourth  of  May,  when  there  was  quite  a  nice  cele- 
bration held  and  a  fine  program  carried  out  of  races,  et 
cetera,  in  honor  of  the  Queen's  birthday. 

Crossing  that  day  a  funny  thing  happened.  Often 
there  were  odd  shapes  of  wood  seen  floating  down  the 
river,  at  times  looking  very  much  like  a  duck  or  some 
water  fowl.  That  afternoon  just  as  we  were  passing 
two  men  who  were  mending  their  seines  on  the  river 
bank,  one  of  these  oddly  shaped  pieces  of  wood  floated 
by  near  us.  One  of  my  friends,  who  was  rowing  me 
across  called  out  to  the  men   that   there  was  a  duck  and 


IX  THE  FAR  NORTH  85 

hurriedly  glancing  at  it,  one  of  them  dropped  the  seine, 
and  hastily  ran  up  the  embankment  to  his  cabin, 
grabbed  his  gun  and  rushing  out  shot  at  the  object;  at 
this  we  all  laughed,  he  with  the  rast  of  us  when  he  saw 
how  he  had  been  fooled  and  my  friend,  who  perpetrated 
this  joke,  hurrahed  over  it. 

Upon  the  twenty-third  of  May  a  boat  from  up 
stream  came  in  with  lots  of  mail,  that  had  been  brought 
down  over  the  ice  part  way  and  was  compelled  to  lay 
over  until  the  river  was  navigable  for  boats. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  one  from  down  river  got  in, 
boats  now  came  in  every  day  from  up  and  down  stream, 
but  they  were  boats  that  had  been  wintering  only  a 
little  distance  out  of  Dawson  where  they  had  sought  a 
sheltered  spot  to  harbor  ere  they  were  frozen  in.  And 
when  we  left  on  June  twelfth  there  had  not  arrived  but 
one  boat  that  had  come  all  the  way  from  Bennett  and  it 
was  a  small  one,  and  there  had  not  one  arrived  from  Saint 
Michael ;  most  of  the  boats  from  the  latter  place  do  not 
get  into  Dawson  until  the  middle  of  July. 

We  were  now  what  is  is  called  in  the  Klondyke 
"sour  dough"  or  those  who  had  wintered  in  the  country 
and  no  longer  belonged  to  the  "Checharko"  class,  new 
comers. 

The  last  month  that  we  were  in  Dawson  and  espec- 
ially the  last  two  weeks  it  rained  a  great  deal.  On  one 
of  the  afternoons  we  saw  a  most  beautiful  double  rainbow, 
both  very  vivid,  and  half  or  more  of  these  brilliant  arches 
were  over  the  mountain,  the  end  of  each  was  even  cast 
upon  the  waters. 

The  last  social  gathering  to  which  we  invited  our 
friends  was  on  Emily's  birthday;  the  second  she  had 
passed  away  from  home. 

On  June  third  we  elaborately  trimmed  our  home  in 


86  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

the  many  lovely  vrild  flowers  that  grew  on  the  mountains 
near  us  and  extended  the  hospitality  of  our  home  for  the 
last  time  to  our  host  of  friends  with  whom  we  spentanother 
pleasant  evening.  Many  of  the  flowers  to  which  we  are 
accustomed  grow  in  profusion  in  the  North,  besides  which 
there  are  a  number  that  though  akin  to  ours,  are  dis- 
tinctively of  northern  or  Alaskan  growth,  some  of  which 
have  such  tiny  and  such  delicate  petals  that  it  seems 
impossible  to  believe  them  native  of  the  North. 

And  now  came  the  last  preparation  ere  we  sailed  for 
home.  Divers  errands  took  us  across  once  or  twice  a 
day,  having  our  traveling  dresses  made  at  the  tailor's, 
(mid  there  were  several  good  tailors  in  Dawson)  select- 
ing a  few  nuggets  to  take  home,  etcetera.  And  it  was 
very  interesting  to  look  upon  the  gold  just  as  it  was 
taken  from  the  ground,  some  were  tiny  and  others  were 
quite  large  and  of  odd,  pretty  shapes.  A  friend  showed 
me  one  about  the  size  of  an  egg  taken  from  his  claim, 
which  was  solid  gold  and  no  quartz.  I  have  a  small  one 
quite  like  a  capital  H  in  design,  another  the  perfect 
form  of  a  ealla-lily. 

It  is  quite  a  feat  to  cross  the  Yukon  and  land  just 
where  one  wishes.  The  men  usually  rowed  or  poled  up 
the  eddy  close  to  the  bank  for  quite  a  distance,  and 
then  with  hard  and  skillful  rowing  against  the  current, 
were  borne  by  the  latter  rapidly  across.  Sometimes. 
however,  if  they  failed  in  going  far  enough  up  the  eddy 
ere  they  attempted  to  cross,  the  current  bore  them  too 
far  down  stream,  landing  them  far  from  the  point  they 
wished  to  land.  We  crossed  most  of  the  time  in  a  Peter- 
borough canoe,  which  turns  over  easily  if  one  moves 
carelessly  around  in  it,  but  is  so  much  more  easily  pad- 
dled  across. 

The  provisions  were  usually  kept  in  outside  caches 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  87 

that  were  in  easy  access  to  any  one  who  was  of  a  dis- 
honest nature,  and  many  have  wondered  that  there  was 
so  little  stolen  which  I  explain,  first,  that  after  all  there 
are  many  good  honest  people  in  the  world,  and  second, 
the  few  that  were  dishonest  had  such  severe  punishment 
dealt  so  quickly  out  to  them  that  it  warned  the  others. 
Judgment  and  punishment  soon  followed  a  crime  and 
there  were  times  doubtless  that  as  in  every  country  the 
innocent  were  wronged. 

And  now  I  almost  counted  the  hours  that  intervened 
between  the  present  and  my  return  home,  for  though  I 
had  been  much  interested  in  my  travels  and  in  my  so- 
journ in  Dawson,  I  felt  anxious  to  get  back  to  the  dear, 
old  home  and  its  loved  ones.  Then  the  bright  anticipa- 
tions of  the  lovely  journey  ahead  of  us  impelled  me  to 
wish  to  start,  for  we  had  decided  to  return  via  Saint 
Michael  and  Dutch  Harbor. 

The  last  month  of  our  stay  in  the  North  we  were 
blessed  with  beautiful  sunsets,  for  though  it  rained  almost 
every  day  it  would  clear  toward  evening  and  the  long, 
late  gloaming  and  the  early  dawn  combined  were  pre- 
ceded by  the  loveliest  sunsets  possible,  so  it  seemed  to 
me;  at  least  that  one  seen  en  route  to  Dawson  on  the 
night  of  July  4th  '98  and  two  particularly  6f  the  many 
I  enjoyed  in  Dawson,  can  never  be  effaced  from  my 
memory. 

One  of  the  latter  was  seen  about  two  weeks  before  I 
left.  The  sky  was  serenely  blue  with  white  fleecy  clouds 
here  and  there  mingled  with  others  of  pearly  gray  and 
and  many  more  rose  tinted  from  the  glow  of  the  sunset. 
When  we  first  noticed  the  setting  of  the  sun  the  whole 
of  it  was  above  the  horizon  surrounded  and  imbedded 
in  a  brilliant  red.  This  deep  glow  not  only  was  reflected 
in  the  sky  and  upon  the  clouds,    but    radiated  over   the 


88  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

mountains  and  e'en  upon  the  bosom  of  the  Yukon  and 
could  an  artist  but  have  reproduced  that  evening  scene, 
your  very  soul  would  be  appealed  to. 

We  stood  in  the  rapture  of  reverent  fascination  and 
felt  almost  inspired,  as  our  eyes  feasted  upon  this  rare 
and  beautiful  banquet  that  Dame  Nature  had  spread  be- 
fore us.  And  as  we  looked  a  great  portion  of  the  heav- 
ens seemed  aglow  with  the  brilliant,  fiery  red,  that 
flitted  from  cloud-tip  to  cloud-tip,  throwing  the  most 
lovely  opal  coloring  almost  across  the  firmament.  The 
startlingly  bright  red  of  the  setting  sun,  the  deep  violet 
blue  of  the  sky,  with  its  variously  tinted  clouds,  and  the 
different  shades  of  green  foliage  over  the  mountains,  all 
blended  so  well  in  the  harmonious  contrasts.  And  a 
prayerless  man  looking  upon  this  scene  must  have  felt  his 
nature  reproved.     It  recalled  the  words  of  Whittier : 

"So  nature  keeps  the  reverent  frame 

With  which  her  years  began 
And  all  her  signs  and  voices  shame 

The  prayerless  heart  of  man." 

As  the  sun  sank  out  of  sight  the  rosy  glow  gradually 
died  away,  and  the  softest  of  Quaker  grays  took  it? 
place  and  the  night  in  her  plainer  garb  came  forth,  but 
for  a  short  time,  ere  the  rising  of  the  sun  was  heralded 
in  the  east. 

Two  or  three  evenings  later  I  was  alone  for  a  short 
time.  At  nine-thirty  the  sun  was  still  shining — boats 
were  coming  in  every  day  and  several  were  expected  that 
evening.  So  I  picked  up  a  book  of  the  University 
Course  and  went  out  and  sat  down  on  a  rustic  seat  to 
read,  but  the  beauty  of  the  evening  scene  distracted  my 
thoughts  from  my  reading.  I  went  in  and  got  my  diary 
and  wrote  :  "Sun  not  set — and  it  i6  nine-forty-five — I 
have  been  trying  to  read   in  the  University  Course   but 


JY  THE  FAR  NORTH  89 

the  splendor  of  the  evening  scene  will  not  let  me.  Sun 
just  passing  behind  the  mountains  but  still  shining  on 
other  peaks  away  in  the  distance.  In  the  south,  the  ro- 
sy light  reflected  by  the  sun  is  changed  into  a  pink, 
which  mingled  with  the  atmospheric  blue  enveloping  the 
mountains,  intensify  the  grandeur  of  the  already  resplen- 
dent mountains,  at  the  foot  of  which  flows  the  mighty 
Yukon.  The  heavens  seem  to  smile  a  halo  of  benedic- 
tion in  all  the  dainty  colored  clouds.  I  cannot  wonder 
at  my  lack  of  interest  in  my  book. 

Perhaps  these  descriptions  may  give  one  something 
of  a  conception  of  the  gorgeous  splendor  of  the  Northern 
sunsets — which  surely  cannot  be  outshone,  though  doubt- 
less they  are  equaled. 


Dawson  City, 


DAWSON  City  proper  had  nearly  five  thousand 
people,  but  there  were  twenty  thousand  at 
Least  in  the  city  and  upon  the  gulches. 

Municipal  authority  was  vested  in  a  Gover- 
nor and  the  Yukon  Council  under  the  ordinances  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  and  order  was  well  kept  within 
this  mining  town  by  Colonel  Steele  and  the  Northwest 
Mounted  Police.  There  were  no  riots  and  very  few  dis- 
turbances upon  the  streets.  All  of  the  saloons  were 
closed  at  midnight  on  Saturday  and  were  not  opened  un- 
til the  following  night  at  the  same  hour.  The  intense 
cold  of  the  Yukon  water  even  in  the  summer  made  one 
unusually  careful  in  rowing  across  the  river,  for  though 
a  good  swimmer,  if  one  was  thrown  out  into  the  water, 
it  was  doubtful  whether  he  could  save  himself,  as  the 
very  cold  water  soon  benumbed  him. 

It  is  true  that  there  had  been  some  of  the  greatest 
discoveries  of  gold  made  in  the  Klondyke,but  there  have 
also  been  a  number  of  exaggerated  reports  of  the  rich 
findings  there.  This  took  too  many  people  into  the  coun- 
try and  there  were  not  sufficient  good  mines  nor 
enough  to  support  so  many. 

Many  of  the  creeks  have  little  or  no  gold  upon  them 
and  mining  in  the  north  is  very  difficult  and  very  ex- 
pensive  for  there  was  very  little  machinery  in  the  coun- 
try, though  a  large  amount  was  expected  during  the 
summer. 

90 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  91 

Living  was  very  high  and  labor  brought  good  pay- 
when  it  could  be  obtained.  Prices  varied  greatly,  though 
when  we  arrived  they  were  very  high  and  had  been  even 
higher. 

Those  who  had  the  good  fortune  of  getting  in  over  the 
ice  before  the  boats  came  in,  made  small  fortunes.  Lem- 
ons sold  at  eighteen  dollars  a  dozen  and  eggs  for  twelve 
dollars.  In  the  early  spring,  the  latest  papers  and  maga- 
zines sold  for  three  dollars  each.  After  the  boats  got  in 
you  could  obtain  almost  everything  from  an  imported 
hat  for  one  hundred  dollars,  to  a  fine  porter-house  steak 
for  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  pound.  Milk  sold  for 
thirty-five  dollars  a  gallon  and  the  first  cow  was  rated  at 
one  thousand  dollars. 

But  the  many  boats  that  came  in  from  up  and  down 
the  river  during  the  summer  of  ninety-eight  brought 
prices  down  considerably, lemons  and  eggs  being  reduced 
to  three  dollars  a  dozen, potatoes,  onions  and  meat  to  one 
dollar  a  pound  and  other  things  in  proportion. 

Four  denominations  had  neat  houses  of  worship  and 
presiding  pastors — Presbyterian,  Catholic,  Methodist 
and  the  Church  of  England.  These  several  ministers 
were  earnest  and  helpful  to  the  community  at  large.  The 
Bishop  of  the  Church  of  England  was  an  old  man  of  near 
seventy-five  years ;  he  and  his  wife  had  spent  forty 
years  in  that  country,  working  among  the  Indians,  whom 
he  found  friendly  and  sociable.  I  was  told  a  funny  story 
of  the  Bishop  relating  to  his  association  with  them, 
which  I  will  relate  though  I  do  not  know  it  to  be  authen- 
tic. 

There  had  been  a  drought  for  weeks  and  the  Indians 
worked  themselves  up  to  the  idea  that  the  devil  was  in 
the  Bishop  and  this  was  causing  the  wrath  of  God  to  thus 
descend  upon  them  and  they  straightway  began  to    beat 


92  8UN8HINE  AND  SHADE 

the  Bishop  and  to  drive  him  out  of  the  country,  but  were 
soon  persuaded  to  desist. 

This  was  told  ae  having  occurred  in  the  early  days 
of  that  country  and  may  be  only  idle  rumor. 

Fishing  is  a  lucrative  business  with  the  Indians  as 
well  as  others,  and  it  is  interesting  to  see  the  King  Sal- 
mon caught,  after  which  they  are  struck  on  the  head 
with  a  club,  though  the  latter  seems  cruel.  Oft  we 
would  see  a  birch  canoe,  "with  paddles,  rising,  falling, 
on  the  water."  They  were  the  tiniest  and  prettiest  of 
canoes  and  speed  rapidly,  noiselessly  and  gracefully 
along  under  the  fine  and  skillful  paddling  of  the  In- 
dians. Many  get  accustomed  to  using  some  of  the 
words  used  by  the  Indians.  As  an  example  :  If  you  ask 
how  a  friend  feels,  he  may  reply,  "I  feel  skookum" 
meaning  "I  feelgood." 

Hunting  is  engaged  in  both  for  a  vocation  and  a 
pleasure.  Many  moose  and  caribou  were  killed  as  well 
as  white  rabbits  and  petarmigan— the  meat  of  all  these 
were  fine.  We  had  bear  meat  once  and  enjoyed  it, 
though  we  did  not  know  that  it  was  bear  at  the  time, but 
thought  it  was  moose. 

Mrs.  C.  had  a  small,  light  gun  which  we  would 
take  with  us  in  our  walks  and  use  more  for  practice — as 
we  were  never  out  at  the  hour  that  the  ducks  and  ptar- 
migans were  most  numerous,  that  being  very  late  in  the 
evening  or  early  in  the  morning. 

Several  hospitals  attended  by  an  excellent  corps  of 
physicians  and  nurses  were  running  successfully — the 
two  largest  being  Saint  Mary's  under  the  direction  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  and  the  Presbyterian  Hospital 
which  was  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  G.  of  Toronto, 
who  was  also  the  presiding  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Dawson  City  though  a  graduated  physician. 


IX  THE  FAR  NORTH  93 

The  public  was  furnished  with  good  reading  matter 
from  a  library  of  eleven  hundred  books  for  which  a 
monthly  fee  of  two  dollars  was  charged  the  members. 
This  also  was  owned  and  run  by  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

Several  saw-mills  supplied  an  abundance  of  lumber, 
from  which  a  number  of  good  housee  were  built,  though 
the  most  of  the  cabins  were  built  of  logs.  There  were 
three  very  large  stores  at  which  almost  everything  could 
be  bought,  and  a  number  of  small  ones  such  as  drug- 
stores, bakeries,  butcher-shops  and  so  on. 

Several  good  hotels  and  restaurants  were  doing  a 
fine  business  and  pare  of  them  served  very    good  meals. 

There  were  two  papers  edited  when  we  first  arrived, 
"The  Klondyke  Nugget"  and  "The  Midnight  Sun;" 
another  sprang  into  existence  later. 

There  were  many  physicians,  dentists,  lawyers,  ar- 
tists and  in  fact  almost  every  profession  and  vocation 
were  represented. 

It  was  greatly  to  be  deplored  that  there  was  no 
school  in  Dawson;  at  least  no  public  school  and  as  far 
as  I  knew  no  successful  private  one.  Yet  there  were  a 
number  of  children.  The  matter  was  being  agitated 
when  I  came  away  and  now  there  may  be  a  school  sup- 
ported by  the  government. 

A  telephone  company  had  been  in  existence  for  six 
months  though  not  very  successfully  operated. 

Dawson  had  its  fires  galore — the  first  occurred  in 
the  last  of  October  and  was  an  immense  one  clearing 
Front  street  for  several  blocks.  It  broke  out  very  early 
in  the  morning — we  were  awakened  at  six  a.  m.,  and  the 
conflagration  was  a  great  sight.  There  was  a  volunteer 
fire  department  under  the  able  direction  of  Col.  Steele 
and  the  N.  W.  M.  P. 

Two  more  very  large  fires  followed  the  first   and    a 


94  8UN8HI2TE   AND  shade 

number  of  minor  ones.  Each  time  the  buildings  were 
replaced  by  others  more  poorly  built. 

However  there  were  several  very  nice  business 
houses  more  lately  built  of  two  and  three  stories — that 
were  rented  as  offices. 

During  May  and  June  much  had  been  done  to  im- 
prove the  sanitary  condition  of  Dawson  City  and  the 
great  run  of  typhoid  endured  last  summer  was  not  ex- 
pected this  season.  There  was  very  little  sickness  in  the 
Spring. 

The  authorities  had  forced  the  people  to  be  strenu- 
ously careful  about  throwing  their  refuse  matter  in  the 
streets,  compelling  them  to  take  it  all  to  the  middle  of 
the  river  where  the  current  could  bear  it  rapidly  away. 
Trenches  two  feet  deep  had  been  dug  every  short  dis- 
tance to  drain  the  city  and  the  place  bade  fair  to  be  much 
more  healthful. 

During  the  Spring  and  Summer  the  sweet  singing  of 
the  birds  is  heard  the  whole  night  long — the  last  one 
hears  ere  he  slumbers  is  the  twittering  of  these  fairy- 
like-winged creatures  and  the  first  consciousness  of  the 
morning  brings  the  sound  of  their  voices.  I  think  near 
the  noon-tide  must  be  the  time  they  rest,  for  I  missed 
the  sweet  singing  and  the  flitting  of  their  little  forms 
to  and  fro  among  the  trees  more  at  that  time  than  any 
other. 

On  one  of  the  Spring  days  a  young  girl  friend  and 
I  walked  high  upon  the  side  of  the  mountain  near  Daw- 
son and  enjoyed  picking  ferns,  stepping  from  one  great 
rock  to  another.  We  climbed  up  to  where  there  had 
been  a  slide  some  years  ago  and  legend  claims  an  Indian 
village  was  buried  beneath  the  rocks  and  dirt.  Here 
the  formation  had  a  great  deal  of  asbestos  in  its  com- 
position. 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  95 

Further  up  this  same  mountain  a  very  pretty  pecul- 
iar vine  of  the  spruce  or  pine  species  was  found  trail- 
ing close  to  the  ground  and  the  ferns  referred  to  above 
were  small  and  hardy,  with  a  delicate  sandal  wood  odor 
and  many  of  them  had  lived  through  the  winter  under 
the  snow. 

One  pleasant  Saturday  afternoon  shortly  before 
leaving  I  walked  quite  a  distance  out  on  the  trail  lead- 
ing to  one  of  the  prominent  creeks — Bonanza,  with  a 
friend.  My  sister-in-law  expected  to  go  with  us  but 
was  not  feeling  quite  well  enough  to  take  a  long  walk. 

We  left  home  rather  early  in  the  afternoon,  crossed 
in  the  ferry,  and  leisurely  walked  along,  looking  around 
and  enjoying  the  beautiful  scenery.  From  the  elevation 
upon  which  we  were  the  Yukon  for  a  long  distance 
could  be  plainly  seen  from  the  direction  of  its  source  to 
that  of  its  mouth,  disclosing  the  pretty  little  islands 
here  and  there  upon  its  mighty  waters. 

First  ascending  and  then  descending  we  found  the 
trail  in  fine  condition,  hardened  under  the  constant  press 
of  the  many  feet  going  too  and  fro.  We  met  several 
with  quite  a  little  gold  dust  upon  them — one  man  had 
between  three  and  four  thousand  dollars  in  the  sack 
hanging  from  his  neck  and  his  brow  was  wet  with  per- 
spiration from  the  exertion  of  carrying  this  weight. 
Later  we  met  one  of  the  N.  W.  M.  P.,  who  had  been  up 
the  creek  attending  to  the  gold  belonging  to  the  Roy- 
alty which  he  had  the  pack-train  bring  down.  I  saw  a 
sun-dial  for  the  first  time  during  my  walk  that  afternoon. 
We  walked  out  two  and  one-half  miles — here  we  came  to 
an  extremely  pretty  place,  the  Dawson  City  Nursery 
and  Garden,  and  this  was  the  special  point  of  interest 
that  my  friend  wanted  to  show  me.  It  was  a  picturesque 
rustic  house,  with  the   prettiest  sort   of  steps,    landing 


96  SUNSHIUTE  AND  SHADE 

and  walk  imaginable,  leading  up  to  it,  the  entrance  of 
which  was  embellished  with  a  lovely  veranda.  Running 
all  around  this  little  house  and  surrounding  it  was 
terraced  ground,  attractively  laid  out.  In  this  "gar- 
den spot"  of  the  North  the  proprietors  expected  to 
cultivate  roses  and  all  sorts  of  flowers,  as  well  as  to  raise 
lettuce,  cabbage  and  other  vegetable  plants  in  the  rear 
of  this  lovely,  fascinating  place,  which  doubtless  seemed 
more  so  because  it  was  so  novel  in  that  far  away  new 
country. 

So  many  had  said  that  Birch  Snuggery  was  the 
prettiest  place  in  Dawson  but  I  felt  we  had  a  close  rival; 
however  the  two  places  were  so  different  that  they 
could  hardly  be  compared. 

One  of  the  partners  had  gone  down  that  afternoon 
to  meet  his  wife  whom  he  hoped  to  see  on  an  expected 
boat,  and  for  whom  this  little  gem  of  a  house  was  built. 

After  resting  a  little  while  we  started  home  and  I 
wanted  to  see  how  fast  I  could  walk  and  not  weary 
myself.  So  I  asked  my  friend  to  time  me  and  he  did. 
I  walked  the  two  and  a  half  miles  in  thirty-five  minutes 
and  had  lots  of  fun  with  my  friend  of  whom  I  was  al- 
ways in  advance.  He  would  call  out  to  me  to  stop  or  I 
would  be  the  death  of  him  to  which  I  laughingly  replied, 
"When  gentlemen  attend  ladies  they  must  please  them." 
And  then  he  made  answer,  "Oh!  I  am  too  old  a  bache- 
lor to  worry  myself  with  such  things."  It  began  to 
rain  and  as  I  raised  my  umbrella  without  looking  back 
I  said,  "Pardon  me  if  I  strike  you  with  this,"  thinking 
he  was  close  behind,  but  he  said,  "Don't  worry!  I'll 
never  catch  up  with  that  umbrella."  I  had  a  fine  in- 
vigorating walk  and  had  much  pleasure  in  viewing  the 
country. 

There  are  two  very  high  peaks  some  distance   from 


iy  THE  FAR  NORTH  97 

Dawson  often  referred  to  as  the  "Domes,"  not  together 
however.  One  is  very  much  higher  than  the  other  and 
is  perhaps  the  highest  peak  near  Dawson  and  is  on 
Dominion  Creek.  Here  a  party  of  our  friends,  my 
brother  included,  had  a  picnic  on  the  twenty-first  of 
June.  Some  days  later  we  returned  and  enjoyed  looking 
at  the  midnight  sun  which  shone  brightly. 

The  last  few  days  were  busy  ones  preparing  to  leave 
our  Northern  home  where  we  had  sojourned  one  year, 
and  to  go  on  our  return  journey  that  bade  fair  to  take  a 
month. 

We  of  course  attended  to  our  domestic  duties  and 
on  Monday  morning  June  12th,  we  ate  our  last  breakfast 
in  our  home  to  which  we  bade  a  regretful  farewell.  Two 
hours  later  attended  by  our  most  intimate  friends  we 
crossed  the  Yukon  for  the  last  time  and  went  on  board 
the  steamer  Arnold,  of  the  A.  E.  Company,  on  which 
we  had  engaged  passage.  Dear  Buster,  the  Malamute 
dog  to  which  we  had  become  so  much  attached  walked 
down  to  the  bank  and  sadly  looked  after  us  until  we 
got  across. 

We  were  asked  to  go  aboard  the  steamer  at  nine- 
thirty  a.  m.  but  she  did  not  leave  until  three  p.  ni. 

The  intervening  hours  were  spent  with  friends  who 
were  coming  and  going  the  entire  time,  save  during  the 
lunch  hour  and  then  several  lunched  with  us.  We  had 
many  good  friends  of  almost  all  nationalities  in  Dawson 
whom  we  regretted  (leaving.  But  we  were  especially 
sorry  that  my  brother's  business  held  him  in  Dawson  and 
that  Mrs.  C,  little  Emily  and  myself  were  returning 
home  without  him,  and  on  this  account  we  felt  very  sad 
as  our  boat  loosened  its  moorings  and  we  waved  adieus 
to  my  brother  and  the  little  crowd  of  friends  standing 
on  the  bank. 


98 


,ST.V,s7//.VA'   A  XI)  SUA  ui; 


We  stood  and  looked  at  them  until  they  receded 
from  our  sight,  now  and  then  giving  a  lingering  look  to 
the  West  Dawson  side,  where  Birch  Snuggery  stood  out 
so  plainly  in  view,  with  the  Malamute  dog,  Buster,  lying 
in  front  of  the  door  in  his  loneliness.  We  heard  a  dog's 
cry  just  then  which  we  thought  was  Buster's  wail  and 
it  touched  our  hearts  for  we  were  much  attached  to  him. 
These  Malamutes  and  Huskies  never  bark  as  other  dogs, 
but  they  make  a  sound  more  like  a  human  cry. 


The  Journey  to  tr;e  Mouth  of  tr;e 
Yukon. 


Iwas  so  happy  to  be  going  home,  and  this  with  the 
delight  of  looking  at  the  beautiful  scenery  soon 
drove  all  sad  thoughts  from  my  mind. 

The  scenery  was  grand !  Mountains  on  either 
side  with  snow  clad  ones  in  the  distance.  Many  of 
these  were  thickly  timbered  and  again  great,  rough  pic- 
turesque rocks  stood  out  in  bold  relief  with  no  verdure 
on  them. 

There  were  over  one  hundred  men  and  seven  women 
on  board  the  boat  _and  the  entire  crew  were  courteously 
attentive  to  all,  especially  to  the  latter.  Captain  Mc.  N. 
and  the  purser,  Mr.  F.  were  at  all  times  attentive  to  their 
duties  and  thoughtful  for  the  comfort  of  their  passen- 
gers. 

It  took  but  a  short  time  to  reach  Forty  Mile 
where  we  saw  a  number  of  Indians;  in  fact  we  saw 
many  of  these  all  along  the  river  and  one  thing  was  very 
noticeable,  that  the  further  we  got  down  the  river,  the 
further  into  the  interior,  that  the  Indians  grew  untidier 
and  less  cleanly  and  intelligent  looking. 

That  afternoon  we  saw  another  of  those  beautitul, 
double  rainbows,  one  vying  with  the  other  in  brilliancy. 
We  passed  several  glaciers. 

June  twelfth  was  very  early  to  leave  Dawson  and 
our  boat  was  among  the  first  to  leave.  There  was  quite 
a  lot  of  ice  close  to  the  bank,  on  either  side  of  the  river, 

99 


LOO  SU2TSHINE  AND  SHADE 

though   most  of  the  river  was    entirely   free  from  ice. 
That  along  the  bank  could  not  affect  us  in  the  least. 

That  night  near  one  a.  in.  we  crossed  the  boundary, 
and  when  we  awakened  that  morning  we  were  delighted 
that  we  were  again  in  America,  "The  land  of  the  free, 
and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

During  the  night  we  had  passed  a  great  rock  called 
"Castle  Rock,"  a  huge,  boulder  peculiarly  cleft  in 
twain,  and  to  this  is  attached  a  legendary  story  about 
an  Indian  Chief  and  his  squaw  quarrelling  and  the  for- 
mer had  pushed  her  away  from  him  and  there  she  re- 
mained. 

At  five-thirty  a.  m.  we  passed  Eagle  City  where  we 
stopped  for  several  minutes  only.  This  was  a  small 
settlement  of  natives  and  white  people  as  usual. 

We  stopped  frequently  along  the  route  to  load  on 
wood  of  which  it  took  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty 
cords  to  run  the  boat  to  Saint  Michael. 

During  the  day  we  saw  huge  pieces  of  ice  along 
the  river  bank  and  the  scenery  continued  to  be  beautiful. 
At  nine  that  evening  we  arrived  at  Circle  City,  where 
quite  a  crowd  was  gathered  on  the  bank,  among  whom 
were  a  number  of  U.  S.  soldiers.  Other  boats  were 
moored  here,  several  of  which  had  been  frozen  in  the 
ice  near  this  place. 

"We  went  on  shore  and  walked  about  Circle  City, 
which  we  found  to  be  very  much  the  same  as  the  other 
settlements,  though  larger.  The  houses  were  all  built  of 
logs  and  there  were  two  good-sized  stores,  the  N.  A.  T. 
and  the  A.  C.  There  was  a  crude,  primitive  fire  de- 
partment, at  which  we  looked  with  interest.  Here  we 
obtained  some  very  pretty  beaded  pokes,  or  gold  sacks 
made  by  the  Tanana  Indians.  After  leaving  Circle  City 
we  came  to  that  part  of  the  river  most  dreaded  on   ac- 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  101 

count  of  the  sand  bars.  For  the  next  eighty  miles  so 
intricate  wis  the  way,  and  so  difficult  was  it  to  decide 
which  channel  to  take,  that  boats  were  very  liable  to 
get  on  the  bars.  But  our  Indian  pilot  was  to  be  depended 
on  and  most  successfully  were  we  steered  through  these 
narrow  channels.  An  entirely  new  channel  had  been 
cut  this  last  year  by  the  ice. 

We  stopped  at  several  Indian  settlements  to  load 
wood  that  day. 

The  sun  passed  behind  the  mountain  at  ten-thirty 
that  evening  though  it  was  still  shining  from  behind  the 
elevation.  On  the  morning  of  June  fifteenth  we  landed 
at  Rampart  City,  where  we  remained  for  two  hours. 
Here  a  man  came  aboard  with  fine  specimens  of  the 
gold  taken  from  the  mines  near  Rampart  City.  That 
afternoon  we  passed  the  largest  Indian  Camp  on  the 
river  just  outside  of  Weare. 

Later  we  passed  a  Russian  Catholic  Mission  and 
one  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  the  latter  was  called 
Saint  James  and  we  landed  just  opposite  this  place  from 
where  we  saw  a  woman  and  a  boy  jump  into  a  boat  and 
the  woman  rowed  across.  She  was  evidently  heading 
for  our  boat  and  most  dexterously  did  she  handle  her 
oars.  Soon  she  reached  our  side  and  tying  her  boat  to  a 
tree  she  came  aboard ;  a  neat,  refined  woman  who  looked 
quite  delicate  to  row  so  well.  She  came  across  she  said 
to  see  some  of  her  own  sex.  She  said  that  she  had  been 
in  that  country  nearly  two  years,  and  had  seen  but  two 
white  women  during  that  time. 

Her  husband  was  the  rector  of  Saint  James  and 
their  former  home  was  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  not  far 
from  my  home. 

She  enjoyed  her  visit  with  us  immensely  and  we 
took  pleasure  in  chatting  with  her.     I  asked   her   about 


102  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

thrir  work  among  the  Indians  and  she  said  it  was  uphill 
work  and  sometimes  they  were  much  discouraged;  that 
they  would  <>nly  succeed  in  doing  the  Indians  a  little 
good,  when  some  white  man  would  give  them  wniskey 
and  then  after  they  had  sobered  they  would  be  in  a  worse 
state  than  ever.  Still  she  said  it  was  a  fine  field  of  labor 
and  must  be  patiently  worked. 

After  leaving  this  camp  we  soon  came  into  the  flats 
of  the  Yukon,  which  lasted  for  eighty  miles.  This  was 
rather  monotonous  sailing  with   no   beauty   of  scenery. 

On  the  night  of  the  fifteenth  of  June  we  retired  at 
eleven  with  the  sun  still  shining.  That  day  the  wind 
had  been  very  strong. 

At  all  times  out  of  the  sun  the  weather  was  quite 
cool,  the  thermometer  registered  nearly  fifty  above.  The 
next  day  we  stopped  at  two  more  Indian  settlements, 
Mokakie  and  Nulato. 

At  the  latter  place  we  met  quite  a  pleasant  woman 
from  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States,  and  she  was 
delighted  to  meet  us  and  extended  the  hospitality  of  her 
home  to  us,  serving  very  nice  cake  and  lemonade. 

Here  we  saw  a  large  number  of  Indians  and  the 
squaws  had  their  babies  strapped  to  their  backs  just  as 
in  earlier  days.  And  as  course  and  filthy  as  many  of  the 
Indian  women  looked  along  the  entire  route,  yet 
mother-love  seemed  to  shine  in  their  ignorant  faces  for 
their  little  papooses  as  strongly  as  it  does  in  other 
mothers  of  more  intellectual  nationalities. 

One  thing  I  have  failed  to  mention  in  this  trip  was 
the  many  wild  flowers  that  the  gentlemen  got  off  and 
gathered  and  brought  to  us. 

One  especially  worthy  of  mention  was  a  lemon- 
colored  poppy,  the  petals  of  which  were  of  so  fine  a  sub- 
stance that  they  appeared  like  artificial  silk  ones. 


IN  THE  FAR  NORTH  103 

During  the  night  of  the  seventeenth  we  stopped  at 
two  settlements ;  one  was  called  Amvik,  I  think,  and 
the  other  Holy  Cross  Mission,  the  former  was  a  Presby- 
terian mission  and  the  latter  a  Catholic  one,  where  the 
Indian  women  do  a  great  deal  of  bead  and  embroidery 
work  and  the  men  make  miniature  boats  and  other 
curios  which  they  sell  for  the  mission. 

Here  the  little  dog  Towser,  which  belonged  to  the 
boat  was  accidentally  left,  and  we  missed  him  very 
much,  especially  did  little  Emily.  The  boat  would  pick 
him  up  on  the  return  trip  and  in  the  meantime  he  had 
friends  there  to  care  for  him.  That  day  we  passed  Rus- 
sian mission  where  the  pretty,  picturesque  red  church 
stood  upon  the  mountain  side,  a  bright  contrast  to  the 
green  tress. 

For  some  time  we  had  again  had  lovely  mountain 
scenery,  mostly  covered  with  verdure  though  now  and 
then  bare,  rocky  ones  would  appear  and  snow-covered 
ones  were  in  the  distance. 

On  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth  of  June,  just  one 
week  from  the  day  we  started,  we  were  nearing  Behring 
Sea.  At  nine  a.  m.  we  were  only  twelve  miles  from  the 
beginning  of  the  delta  of  the  great  Yukon  on  which  we 
would  travel  sixty  to  eighty  miles  ere  we  reached  its 
mouth.  (The  Yukon  is  three  miles  wide  at  its  broadest 
point  except  at  the  delta  which  is  from  forty  to  sixty 
miles  in  width.)  And  after  that  we  would  have  at  least 
another  sixty  miles  of  travel  upon  the  Behring  Sea  be- 
fore St.  Michael  would  be  reached. 

Near  ten  a.  m.  we  had  quite  an  expanse  of  lowlands 
on  our  left  and  the  right  shore  was  bordered  by  lowlands 
also,  in  the  background  of  which  were  snow-clad 
mountains. 

Ever  and  anon  the  sea-gulls  could  now  be   seen  and 


104  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

since  early  morn  we  had  been  traveling  on  the  tide- 
water. In  the  afternoon  the  mountains  had  disappeared 
from  view.  At  three  forty-five  p.  m.  we  struck  our 
first  sandbar,  reaching  this  shallow  portion  just  at  the 
ebbtide!  A  sister  steamer,  the  "Mary  Graff,"  tried  to  pull 
us  off  but  in  vain  and  we  were  aground  for  hours.  Dur- 
ing our  river  trip  we  averaged  fourteen  miles  an  hour, 
though  part  of  this  time  we  ran  eighteen  miles.  We  re- 
tired at  a  late  hour  and  when  we  awoke  the  next  morn- 
ing at  six  o'clock,  we  were  sailing  on  the  Behring  Sea, 
and  were  agreeably  surprised  at  the  smooth  waters, 
which  were  as  calm  and  as  placid  as  a  lake.  We  were 
delighted,  for  we  feared  it  would  be  stormy  and  the  Beh- 
ring Sea  in  storms  in  very  rough. 

On  one  side  we  were  out  of  sight  of  land  and  on  the 
other  there  were  snow  clad  mountains  to  be  seen. 

Later  in  the  morning  we  passed  a  very  pretty  pen- 
insula, mostly  of  rock  formation,  the  most  prominent 
part  being  round  and  extending  far  out  into  the  water. 
Both  shores  were  now  in  view  and  along  one  were  great 
pieces  of  ice. 

A  short  time  before  reaching  Saint  Michael  we  be- 
held an  iceberg,  though  not  a  very  large  one.  Seldom 
do  pictures  give  us  so  clear  a  conception  that  we  really 
seem  to  see  the  original  but  I  think  I  had  formed  in  my 
childish  mind  years  ago  a  rather  accurate  idea  of  how 
an  iceberg  looked  from  the  pictures  in  the  Geography 
and  Gazetteer — that  morning  was  the  first  time  I  had 
ever  seen  one  and  yet  it  was  just  what  I  thought  an  ice- 
berg was. 

Just  at  noon  we  arrived  at  Saint  Michael  though 
we  did  not  land,  but  cast  anchor,  and  remained  out  at 
sea.  The  company  had  no  wharf  and  there  were  great 
huge  holders  on  the   shore  extending  away  out   into  the 


IF  THE  FAR  NORTH  105 

bay  and  upon  our  arrival  the  wind  was  so  high  that  the 
boat  would  have  been  damaged  on  these,  had  she  gone 
ashore. 

Here  we  changed  our  time,  turning  it  back  two 
hours  and  a  half.  We  had  daylight  all  night — though 
the  sun  set  a  little  earlier  and  the  nights  were  not  quite 
so  bright. 

During  the  last  part  of  our  journey  we  saw  the  hull 
of  an  old  ship  which  was  pointed  out  to  us  as  the  re- 
mains of  a  war  ship  of  the  Russians  from  one  of  their 
battles  in  the  early  days. 


The  Fifteen  Days  (3nch)ored  on  Behring 

Sea. 


WE  were  on  the  Arnold  for  ten  days  after  we 
reached  Saint  Michael,  awaiting  an  ocean 
steamer  to  sail  to  Seattle  and  during  this 
time  there  were  many  vessels  on  the  waters 
— schooners,  brigs,  whalers,  river  boats,  tugs  and  ocean 
steamers — of  the  last  named  there  were  a  number — sev- 
eral quite  small  and  old,  poorly  built  affairs. 

Saint  Michael  is  rather  a  pretty  place  built  upon  a 
sloping  embankment  with  no  very  high  mountains  near 
it.  Much  of  it  is  swampy  and  it  rains  there  nearly  all 
the  time.  Here  a  radius  of  one  hundred  miles  was  laid 
off  for  a  government  reservation  and  nearly  seventy-five 
soldiers  were  stationed  here. 

The  population  of  the  place  consisted  mostly  of  the 
natives,  the  employes  of  the  three  stores  and  the  sol- 
diers. When  the  sun  shone,  which  was  not  more  than 
two  or  three  days  during  the  fortnight,  Saint  Michael 
was  endurable,  but  the  most  of  the  time  with  the  wind 
and  rain  it  was  the  dreariest,  loneliest,  darkest  place  I 
ever  saw.  The  days  we  spent  there  though  somewhat 
interesting,  were  also  tedious,  for  we  were  anxious  to 
reach  home. 

The  several  companies  had  settled  some  distance 
from  each  other  and  there  was  quite  a  stretch  of  vacant 
land  between  them. 

We  went  on  shore  nearly  every  day  either  in  small 
106 


IW  THE  FAR  NORTH  107 

rowboats  or  in  the  little  steam  tug — we  walked  through 
the  Indian  encampment  and  stepped  into  several  of  the 
neatest  homes  and  looked  at  their  work  and  curious. 

Many  of  their  huts  were  closed  and  the  Indians  were 
off  on  a  long  hunt. 

We  enjoyed  walking  along  the  beach,  picking  up  the 
small  shells  in  the  sand  though  we  found  no  very  pretty 
ones,  just  the  ordinary  small  shells.  The  sand  differed 
greatly  in  the  different  parts  of  the  country  from  the 
finest  of  almost  white  to  coarse,  black  pebble-like 
sand. 

Each  company  had  very  nice  stores  and  boarding 
houses  for  their  employes.  We  called  at  the  A.  C. 
hotel,  on  the  wife  of  the  United  States  Custom  officer 
whom  we  had  met  through  her  niece,  Mrs.  F.,  a  fellow 
passenger  on  both  the  Arnold  and  the  Roanoke,  and  her 
rooms  would  have  been  a  pleasant  surprise  to  many. 
They  were  nicely  furnished — you  might  say  luxuriously 
so.  A  variety  of  pretty  flowers  were  in  bloom  in  differ- 
ent rustic  effects — some  native  and  others  grown  from 
seeds,  while  the  native  fern  was  growing  in  profusion 
in  pretty  jardiniers  and  pots  placed  here  and  there. 

Perhaps  the  most  novel  experience  of  our  stay  in 
Saint  Michael  was  on  the  afternoon  that  we  went  on  a 
whaler.  Two  of  the  gentlemen  from  the  Arnold  took 
us  across  the  sea  in  one  of  the  life-boats,  and  we  accom- 
plished the  wonderful  feat  of  climbing  up  a  rope  ladder, 
twenty  feet  high  into  one  of  the  huge  iron-clad  whalers. 
At  least  it  seemed  wonderful  to  me  though  it  was  noth- 
ing for  a  sailor. 

We  were  most  agreeably  entertained  by  Captain  C. 
and  his  wife  and  daughter.  The  latter  rendered  some 
sweet  niusic  which  was  the  first  piano  playing  we  had 
heard  for  months. 


108  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

We  spent  a  pleasant  and  interesting  afternoon  in  their 
Little  salon  and  saw  a  number  of  curious  from  Japan, 
where  they  had  passed  the  winter,  as  well  as  some  ivory 
pieces  carved  by  the  Indians  and  Eskimos.  We  took 
great  pleasure  looking  over  the  skins  of  the  white  polar 
bear  and  red  and  white  fox  and  purchased  some  of 
the  latter.  We  went  on  deck  to  see  the  great  lot  of 
whale  bones  they  had  there — two  thousand  pounds 
taken  from  one  whale — I  had  never  seen  the  whale  bone 
just  as  it  was  taken  from  the  whale  before.  It  was  in  im- 
mensely long  pieces  differing  in  width  from  several 
inches  to  much  greater,  and  one  side  was  thick  while 
the  other  was  much  thinner  from  which  there  fringed 
small  particles,  hairy  in  effect. 

Our  ride  over  to  the  whaler  was  in  a  life-boat  as  I 
stated  before,  and  some  might  have  felt  that  we  were  im- 
periled somewhat,  for  though  we  started  on  a  calm  sea, 
we  had  been  upon  the  water  but  a  short  time  when  the 
weather  changed,  the  sky  darkened  and  the  wind  arose, 
but  our  boat  was  large  and  strong  and  we  had  a  good 
oarsmen.  Right  well  it  rode  the  turbulent  waves.  Oh  ! 
it  was  jolly,  good  fun !  And  how  I  enjoyed  being 
tossed  high  upon  one  wave  only  to  meet  another  as  we 
descended  the  first,  and  again  to  feel  myself  borne  high 
in  the  air,  from  which  elevation  the  white-capped  Beh- 
ring  was  pretty  to  behold.  Our  friends  assured  us  that 
we  were  safer  in  this  little  life  boat  than  we  were  on  the 
steam-boat,  which  was  too  large  to  ride  the  waves  nice- 
ly. So  I  gave  myself  up  to  the  delight  I  felt,  though  I 
well  knew  with  what  trepidation  and  anxiety  my  mother 
would  have  looked  at  me,  could  she  have  seen  me  thus 
tossed  by  wind  and  wave  upon  the  billowy  deep. 

We  returned  in  the  little  steam  tug,  which  was  un- 
doubtedly wise,  as  the  waters  were  growing  rougher  and 


IX  THE  FA  It  NORTH  109 

the  waves  were  tossing  higher  and  higher.  It  was  won- 
derful to  see  the  Behring  Sea  change  from  calm  to  tur- 
bulent waters,  sometimes  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 
Some  evenings  we  would  retire  with  quietness  around  us 
to  awaken  in  the  morning  on  rough  and  angry  waters,  or 
lay  ourselves  down  at  night  midst  the  battle  of  wind 
and  wave  and  arise  next  morning  to 'view  a  serenely 
placid  sea. 

As  an  example  I  give  below  notes  from  my  diary 
expressive  of  these  changes  : 

"Saturday,  June  twenty-fourth.  Rainy.  A  dismal 
windy  day.  The  Behring  Sea  is  transformed  from  the 
dream  of  last  night  into  a  howling  hades,  and  though 
we  are  not  out  on  deck,  the  constant  swaying  of  the 
boat  and  now  and  then  the  spinning  of  it  around  tells  us 
of  the  tumult  on  the  outside.  There  are  fifty  or  more 
vessels  anchored  out  at  sea  today." 
The  following  day  I  wrote  : 

"Sunday,  June  twenty-fifth.  Bright  and  clear.  The 
last  I  knew  last  night  was  the  mad  tossing  of  the  waves 
that  rolled  me  from  side  to  side,  and  when  I  opened  my 
eyes  this  morning  it  was  in  the  delight  and  pleasure  of 
the  sunshine,  a  lovely  Sabbath  morning."  Shortly  after 
on  the  same  day  I  made  this  note :  "Now  the  wind  dis- 
turbs the  water  and  the  calm  surface  of  early  morn  is 
gone.  The  sunshine  has  left  us  and  it  is  dark  and 
cloudy.  It  is  beginning  to  rain  and  the  wind  blows  fur- 
iously, waters  very  rough." 

One  evening,  in  particular,  the  waters  were  espec- 
ially quiet;  the  S6a  appeared  a  lake,  sheeny  and  brilliant 
on  its  mirrored  surface  from  the  bright  rays  of  the  sun. 
Mr.  B.,  one  of  the  officers  of  the  ship,  had  told  us 
of  an  old  man  who  was  connected  with  the  company  and 
whose    barge    was    anchored  on   the    sea  at  that  time, 


110  8  U2f  6  H  /  N  E  A  ND  SUA  DE 

whom  he  knew  we  would  enjoy  meeting.  This  particu- 
larly pleasant  evening  the  captain  and  he  asked  if  we 
would  not  enjoy  rowing  over  there,  to  which  we  gladly 
assented,  and  in  five  minutes  we  were  being  rowed 
across  to  see  this  interesting  old  man  and  the  work 
of  his  hands,  for  he  could  do  almost  anything.  He  was 
born  in  Greece  and  had  been  a  sea-faring  man  all  his 
life. 

We  soon  reached  the  old  barge  and  were  quite  sur- 
prised, upon  being  taken  on  board,  to  find  such  nice 
quarters.  The  old  man  was  delighted  to  receive  ladies 
in  his  neat  bachelor  apartments.  Quite  proudly,  and 
justly  so,  did  he  show  us  around,  first  taking  us  to  his 
pilot  house  which  was  scrupulously  clean  and  painted  in 
blue  and  cream ;  then  we  were  shown  the  kitchen  and 
culinary  department,  where  everything  was  in  place, 
after  which  our  woman's  nature  was  best  pleased  in 
looking  at  the  very  beautiful  silk  embroidery  this  old 
man  had  done,  undervests  of  flannel  finished  at  the  neck 
with  dainty  and  skillful  embroidery.  And  lastly  he 
showed  us  a  sailor's  canvass  compartment  trunk  of  his 
own  make  and  design.  He  thought  of  having  it  patent- 
ed and  it  was  surely  worthy  of  it,  for  it  was  a  unique 
and  convenient  arrangement  made  of  such  heavy  canvas 
that  it  was  almost  water-proof.  At  least  it  would  have 
to  lay  in  the  water  for  hours  before  it  could  be  penetrat- 
ed by  it.  He  used  nothing  but  a  large  needle  beside 
the  canvas,  even  the  thread  he  used  was  unravelled 
from  the  canvas. 

During  our  visit  he  spoke  touchingly  of  his  wife 
and  family  from  whom  he  was  separated  so  much  of  the 
time.  He  offered  us  some  refreshment  and  soon  we  bade 
him  good-bye,  thanking  him  for  his  hospitality,  and  en- 
joyed the  row  back  over  the  quiet  sea. 


IN  THE  FAR  XORTH  111 

Several  days  previous  both  the  Garonne  and  the 
Roanoke  had  come  in,  but  expected  to  remain  several 
days  unloading  and  filling  their  passenger  list,  so  there 
was  no  need  of  haste  in  engaging  passage  on  either 
of  them. 

But  on  Thursday,  June  twenty-seventh,  we  went 
over  and  engaged  passage  on  the  Roanoke.  This  ship 
is  said  to  have  the  record  of  making  the  best  time  of 
any  and  is  among  the  finest  that  ply  the  waters  between 
San  Francisco  and  Seattle,  and  Saint  Michael.  She  is 
a  beautifully  appointed  vessel,  prettily  furnished  and 
finely  decorated. 

The  next  day  we  went  on  board  the  Roanoke.  We 
expected  to  leave  on  Sunday  night,  but  tbere  were  boats 
expected  down  the  river  on  which  were  passengers 
booked  for  the  Roanoke.  So  our  departure  from  Saint 
Michael  was  still  delayed. 

Our  trip  down  river  took  eight  days  and  then 
we  had  spent  ten  days  more  on  the  Arnold  after  our  ar- 
rival, and  in  these  eighteen  days  we  had  known  some 
very  pleasant  people  whom  we  regretted  leaving.  And 
when  we  went  aboard  the  Roanoke  we  knew  of  no  one  of 
our  friends  or  acquaintances  on  board  ship,  but  later  we 
were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  that  there  were  several 
we  had  known  in  Dawson  and  had  entertained  in 
our  home. 

They  had  left  Dawson  two  weeks  after  we  did  and 
yet  took  passage  on  the  same  ship.  Often  people  hasti- 
ly made  up  their  minds  to  return  to  their  homes,  busi- 
ness suddenly  calling  them,  or  a  great  desire  to  see 
their  dear  ones. 

Among  other  friends  were  one  of  the  Sergeants  of 
the  N.  W.  M.  P.,  and  Mrs.  H.,  a  cultured  Welsh 
woman,  with  whom  I  was  glad  again  to  meet. 


112  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

These  introduced  others,  and  so  we  had  a  pleasant 
little  clique,  in  which  we  moved  and  enjoyed  ourselves 
in  our  voyage  on  the  briny  deep. 

For  though  one  is  fascinated  in  watching  the  great 
waves  for  hours — yet  a  pleasant  chat  with  friends  helps 
to  pass  away  time  that  otherwise  might  prove  a  trifle 
monotonous. 

The  six  days  that  we  were  on  the  Roanoke  prior  to 
our  departure  were  spent  much  as  the  previous  ten  days 
were. 

The  steam  tug,  "The  Saint  Michael,"  took  us  to 
and  fro,  we  took  quite  an  interest  watching  the  various 
vessels  constantly  coming  and  going  on  St.  Michael's 
Bay,  and  had  another  delightful  little  visit  on  the 
whaler. 

There  was  a  great  rush  just  at  this  time  for  Cape 
Nome,  and  every  boat  that  came  down  the  river  was 
crowded  with  passengers  en  route  to  the  new  gold  fields. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  midnight,  July  4th,  the  whistle 
from  the  different  vessels  were  blown  all  over  the  sea, 
shouts  were  heard  from  one  ship  to  another,  and  the  jolly 
patriotic  songs  rang  out  over  the  deep,  blue  sea  in  cele- 
bration of  that  day  when  we  first  had  our  independence. 

One  especially  pleasant  evening  we  saw  a  fine  mirage 
of  the  mountains  from  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred 
miles  away,  so  clear  was  the  atmosphere. 

At  nine  p.  m.  Thursday,  July  6th,  we  embarked  on 
our  voyage  which  took  us  eleven  days  to  sail  from  St. 
Michael  to  Seattle. 


5  = 


pro n)  St.  Michael  to  Dutch  Harbor. 


THE  evening  we  left  Saint  Michael  it  had  been 
cool  and  cloudy  all  day  but  towards  evening  it 
had  cleared  and  we  had  fair  sailing  that  night, 
though  it  was  quite  foggy  toward  dawn  and 
during  the  early  morn,  which  lessened  our  speed  to  ten 
miles  an  hour.  Later  the  morning  was  lovely,  the  sea  calm 
and  beautiful,  the  deep  blue  green  of  which  contrasted 
with  the  white  foam  of  the  water  made  by  the  motion  of 
the  ship,  and  our  ship  fairly  flew  in  the  bright  sun- 
shine. 

A  day  or  two  before  we  left  Saint  Michael  there 
were  a  number  of  persons  brought  on  board  the  Roanoke 
who  were  either  sick  or  crippled  and  the  government 
was  sending  them  to  their  homes  One  was  so  weak  he 
was  helpless — he  had  suffered  with  scurvy  until  his 
physical  powers  were  almost  paralyzed  and  he  was  car- 
ried aboard  the  ship — the  next  day  he  died  and  there 
was  a  midnight  burial.  A  short  service  was  held,  a  few 
verses  were  read,  and  a  prayer  was  given  over  the  re- 
mains of  the  poor  unfortunate.  Then  as  the  words 
"Nearer  my  God  to  Thee"  were  sung, all  that  was  mortal 
of  "Some  Mother's  Boy"  was  gently  lowered  into  the 
sea.  The  weirdness  and  sadness  of  this  midnight  burial 
at  sea,  the  first  I  had  ever  known,  still  affects  me,  and 
the  sweet  strains  of  that  old-fashioned  hymn  seems  again 
to  be  heard  sailing  on  the  waters  of  the  Behring  Sea. 
One  of  the  passengers  on  our  ship  wrote  the  follow- 
113 


114  SUNSHIITE  AND  SHADE 

ing  poem  in  memory  of  the  one,  whose  remains  were  low- 
ered at  the  midnight  hour  into  the  deep: 

THE  MINER'S  LAST  TRAIL. 

'Tis  midnight!     Across  the  dark  ocean 
The  boom  of  the  ship's  bell  is  heard 
And  out  of  the  darkness  in  answer 
Comes  the  cry  of  the  wild  sea  bird. 

In  the  gangway  a  form  once  so  stalwart 
Lies  wrapped  in  a  dark  winding  sheet, 
While  a  pall — 'tis  the  flag  of  his  country 
Hides  the  heavy  round  shot  at  his  feet. 

No  more  he'll  stampede  o'er  the  snow  and  the  ice, 

For  poor  Ben's  reached  the  end  of  life's  trail. 

He  has  crossed  the  dark  threshold  whence  no  man  returns, 

And  his  funeral  dirge  is  a  gale. 

A  sob  and  a  tear  from  his  comrade, 
A  low  prayer,  then  a  splash,  and  'tis  o'er, 
While  in  far  off  Missouri  his  children 
Mourn  a  father  they'll  never  see  more. 

No  stone  marks  the  brave  miner's  last  resting  place, 
On  his  grave  no  sweet  flowers  ever  bloom. 
But  God  knows  the  spot  where  slumbers  the  dead 
In  the  cold  Northern  ocean's  deep  gloom. 

The  days  passed  pleasantly,  walking  and  talking  out 
on  deck,  or  sitting  and  reading.  A  part  of  the  time  was 
spent  in  the  social  hall  reading,  chatting,  or  listening  to 
the  music  that  several  of  the  psssengers  rendered. 

The  first  twenty-four  hours  we  had  traveled  more 
than  three  hundred  miles  toward  our  destination.  Quite 
a  great  deal  of  the  time  we  were  attended  by  fogs  and 
clouds — sometimes  rain — which  of  course  kept  us  from 
swift  sailing.  Saturday  was  cloudy  and  windy  though 
the  waters  were  comparatively  smooth.  The  walk  on 
deck  was  not  so  much  enjoyed,  still  I  wrapped  up  well 
and  remained  out  quite  a  great  deal.  The  fog  horn  was 
blown  every  few  minutes  lest  in  the  dense    fog  our   ship 


iy  THE  FAB  2WRTH  115 

and  another  would  collide.  During  the  night  the  Charles 
Nelson  had  passed  us  bound  for  Saint  Michael,  towing 
two  barges. 

Sunday  was  still,  cool  and  foggy,  so  much  so  our 
course  was  unknown,  though  we  were  nearing  Dutch 
Harbor.  The  sea  was  a  little  rough.  Later  it  cleared 
and  we  passed  within  view  of  the  grandest  and  most 
beautiful  of  scenery,  just  as  we  came  into  the  entrance 
of  Dutch  Harbor.  A  lovely  spot  in  nature!  Standing 
forth  in  prominence  was  a  mighty  consolidation  called 
"Priest  Rock."  The  name  is  of  legendary  origin  which 
brings  to  us  a  tale  of  the  early  times  that  this  recluse 
far  from  the  world  at  large  has  been  guarded  all  these 
years  since  its  troubles  by  this  sentinel — which  is  said 
to  be  a  priest  turned  to  stone  and  indeed  so  it  seemed, 
and  it  added  a  dignity  to  the  already  imposing  entrance 
to  Dutch  Harbor.  Nothing  had  I  ever  seen  on  land  or 
mountain  scenery  that  excelled  the  view  we  had  as  we 
sailed  into  the  Harbor — indeed  I  feel  it  was  unequalled. 
Great  lofty,  picturesque  mountains,  alternately  barren 
and  green, the  former  though  very  attractive  in  their  old 
gray  appearances,  which  were  enhanced  by  contrast  to 
the  green  of  the  latter  ;  now  and  then  snow  clad  moun- 
tains intervening. 

A  grand  and  imposing  harbor  into  one  of  the 
loveliest  spots  on  earth !  As  I  shut  my  eyes  now  I 
again  seem  to  see  that  vision  of  almost  unparalleled  beauty 
— and  now  and  then  it  appears  like  a  cyclorama  of  na- 
ture, on  which  I  gaze  in  admiring  silence — the  deep  blue 
sea  so  calm  and  still  and  the  valley  of  the  harbor  in  the 
center.  Surrounding  these  majestically  rose  the  vari- 
ously beautiful  mountains  of  snow,  and  rock,  and  ver- 
dure, enveloped  in  that  atmospheric  blue  that  distance 
lends  to  6cenery.    The  lofty  peaks  of  which  tower  tow  aid 


116  sr\S///.YE  ANT)   SHADE 

the  heavens  of  blue  from  which  the  white,  fluffy  clouds 
hang  down  low  over  these  mountains,  concealing  a  part 
of  them  and  adding  an  attraction  to  the  scene;  while 
above  all  this  the  sun  shines  in  his  glory,  giving  a 
touch  of  color  and  perfecting  this  beautiful  picture. 

We  went  into  port  at  two-thirty  and  spent  the  after- 
noon looking  around,  walking  about  and  picking  flowers. 
Though  there  is  a  great  profusion  of  flowers  at  Dutch 
Harbor,  the  place  is  entirely  devoid  of  trees — of  the  for- 
mer the  violet  is  especially  worthy  of  mention — of  a  lit- 
tle larger  variety  than  ours  and  with  the  same  sweet 
odor.  We  just  revelled  in  picking  these,  gathering  im- 
mense bouquets  of  them  that  we  saved  until  we  reached 
Seattle — in  fact  a  few  remained  fresh  even  after  we  got 
to  the  hotel. 

Sweet  clover  is  also  found  in  this  Eden  spot  of  the 
North — the  leaf  of  which  is  large  and  beautiful — of  a 
light  pea-green  and  it  had  a  delicate  odor.  Some  of  both 
of  these  we  pressed.  In  fact  we  began  in  Lindermann 
in  May  ninety-eight  to  press  all  varieties  of  flowers, 
and  the  colored  plates  here-in  placed  are  exact  copies  of 
nature.  The  next  morning  we  went  over  to  Unalaska — 
about  two  miles  from  Dutch  Harbor.  Our  friend,  Dr. 
F.,  from  Minneapolis,  went  with  us  and  our  merry,  lit- 
tle party  spent  a  most  enjoyable  morning,  looking  at 
the  Greek  Church  and  at  the  the  many  curios  and  skins 
in  the  small  stores  and  the  place  in  general.  Here  we 
refreshed  ourselves  with  a  drink  of  real  milk,  for 
which  we  only  paid  ten  cents  a  glass.  The  two  places 
are  separated  by  a  walk  of  about  one  mile  and  a  half 
and  a  small  lake  over  which  we  were  ferried  by  a  boy 
for  the  sum  of  ten  cents  apiece. 

We  returned  from  this  trip  just  in  time  for    lunch — 
after  which  we  again  went  out,  this  time  to  walk  along 


K  LONDYKE     FLOWERS. 


IN  THE  FAR  XORTH  117 

the  beach  and  hunt  for  the  pretty  sea  urchins  and 
shell. 

We  walked  a  long  distance  down  the  beach  but 
finding  no  very  pretty  shells,  we  retraced  our  steps,  a 
part  of  the  way  and  went  over  a  mountain  on  the  other 
side  of  which  we  again  came  to  the  sea — and  along 
this  beach  we  found  the  prettiest  kind  of  different  col- 
ored sea-urchins  and  a  number  of  very  dainty  colored 
shells.  By  this  time  the  rain  had  descended  on  us  and 
our  escort  called  out  to  our  chaperon,  "Come  on  Mrs. 
H.,  we  had  better  go  back  to  the  ship,  or  you  all  will 
get  wet"  but  we  heeded  him  not  for  we  were  having  too 
much  pleasure  in  the  novelty  of  picking  up  the  pretty 
things  we  found  on  the  shores  of  the  Behring  Sea.  And 
on  we  walked  in  the  pattering  rain  with  no  umbrellas  to 
protect  us.  Again  our  friend  called  to  us  to  hasten  and 
laughingly  we  told  him  that  we  would  excuse  him — at 
which  he  started  toward  the  ship,  but  finally  waited  for 
us.  We  picked  up  oyster  shells  and  pieces  of  lobsters, 
and  a  number  of  other  interesting  things.  I  found  one 
particularly  pretty  shell  of  a  dainty  pink  coloring  and 
to  which  a  large  piece  of  sea-weed  clung.  I  dried  it  in 
that  state  and  still  have  the  shell  with  the  sea-weed  at- 
tached to  it. 

I  thought  the  exquisite  coloring  of  the  sea-urchins 
a  thing  to  most  admire — after  the  tide  had  washed 
and  beaten  these  delicate  things  around  and  in  this  way 
had  cleansed  them  from  all  animal  matter  they  were 
very  pretty  to  look  upon.  They  were  variously  colored 
— many  pure  white — others  from  the  lightest  of  olive 
tints  to  the  deepest,  and  in  lovely  heliotrope  Bhading — 
many  of  these  were  broken  from  being  dashed  on  the 
beach,  though  others  were  not  and  they  seemed  more 
like    pieces    of    delicate    china    than    shells.     It  seem- 


118  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADE 

ed  marvelous  that  all  were  not  broken  on  the  rocky- 
beach  where  the  tidal  waves  recklessly  threw  them.  At 
last  we  had  more  than  we  could  carry  and  yet  we  had  a 
childish  reluctance  in  leaving,  but  tired  nature  and  a 
good  wetting  persuaded  us  that  it  was  time  to  return  to 
the  ship. 

As  we  walked  along  the  beach  Miss  S.  found  a 
jelly  fish  or  a  part  of  one — and  of  course  we  had  to  get 
a  stick  and  poke  at  it  and  found  much  interest  in  this. 
A  most  peculiar  fish  it  was  that  at  times  seems  to  have 
the  perfect  form  of  a  star-shaped  body  of  a  yellow  col- 
or— then  is  suddenly  transformed  into  a  round  trans- 
parent one — both  of  these  are  of  a  jelly  substance  and 
this  transformation  seems  to  be  merely  an  expansion 
and  contraction  of  the  body — the  yellow  star-shaped 
body  is  never  lost  however,  only  drawn  within  the  round 
one  where  in  the  center  of  the  latter  it  may  still  be  seen 
of  smaller  size.  We  got  back  to  the  ship  a  wearied  and 
wet  but  thoroughly  delighted  little  party  and  immedi- 
ately repaired  to  our  staterooms  to  divest  ourselves  of 
the  wet  garments  and  don  dry  ones. 

The  next  day  we  had  another  pleasant  walk  and 
hunt  for  flowers  and  shells  and  in  the  afternoon  it  rain- 
ed. Captain  C's.  whaler  was  in  the  harbor  there  also, 
so  the  ladies  came  aboard  our  ship  and  we  spent  a 
pleasant  afternoon  in  the  social  hall  with  music  and  con- 
versation. 

Several  volcanoes  were  pointed  out  to  us  while  we 
were  at  the  Harbor,  two  of  which  were  active  and  from 
out  of  these  came  smoke  curling  upward  and  mingling 
with  the  low  overhanging  clouds.  There  is  an  island 
near  Dutch  Harbor  where  the  white  and  red  foxes  are 
raised. 

That  evening  we  sailed  from  Dutch  Harbor  where 


IN  THE  FAR  XOliTH  119 

we  had  been  two  days  to  load  the  ship  with  coal — the 
latter  is  found  quite  a  great  deal  in  Alaska  and  the 
North  West  Territory. 

As  we  reluctantly  sailed  away  from  this  grand  old 
harbor  I  steadfastly  gazed,  long  and  lingeringly  upon 
the  beautiful  picture  of  sky  and  earth  and  sea  that  it 
might  be  so  distinctly  and  so  vividly  imprinted  upon 
my  mind  that  the  impression  would  live  always  in  my 
memory  and  never  be  effaced. 

As  the  lofty  mountains  with  their  mantles  of  green 
and  gray  and  white,  amidst  the  low  overhanging  clouds, 
were  touched  by  the  last  rays  of  the  sun,  the  brightness 
of  which  had  been  denied  us  earlier  in  the  day,  and  as 
they  receded  from  our  view,  I  felt  that  I  had  enjoyed 
the  grandest  mountain  scenery  perhaps  possible,  and 
that  this  little  spot,  Dutch  Harbor,  which  I  had  studied 
and  read  of  all  my  life,  was  a  veritable  Eden  with  its 
profusion  of  violets  and  sweet  clover  and  numerous 
other  flowers. 

A  few  miles  took  us  through  the  pass  and  at  last  we 
were  sailing  on  the  broad  ocean. 


Th>e  Ocear)  Voyage. 


OUR  voyage  so  far  had  been  extremely  pleasant, 
we  had  been  blessed  with  a  smooth  sea  upon 
waters  that  are  much  dreaded  in  times  of 
storm,  for  the  rough  and  tempest-tossed  waves 
of  the  Behring  Sea  are  of  wide-spread  note,  but  now  we 
could  scarcely  hope  to  be  again  favored,  and  yet  we  were. 
We  left  Dutch  Harbor  on  Tuesday  evening  and  the 
only  sea-sickness  I  felt  was  upon  the  following  Thurs- 
day and  Friday,  and  then  most  of  the  time  I  was  not 
very  sick,  just  enough  so  to  feel  less  humorous  and  not 
as  much  like  laughing  as  usual.  I  was  out  on  deck 
walking  most  of  the  time  and  enjoyed  the  ocean  very 
much  and  as  I  watched  the  great  body  heave  I  recalled 
the  lines  that  seem  so  true  : 

"The  ocean  old, 
Centuries  old, 
Strong  as  youth, 
And  as  uncontrolled," 

and  thought  of  the  power  and  might  of  his  strength, 
which  could  be  quelled  by  but  One  Master.  On 
Thursday  the  sun  shone  bright  and  clear  and  the  waves 
were  beautiful,  so  entirely  different  in  their  coloring  in 
sunshine  and  in  shade  though  yet  at  both  times  lovely, 
and  perhaps  more  fascinating  under  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
yet  were  they  very  attractive  in  the  deeply,  darkly,  som- 
berly blue  of  cloudy  days. 

Our  nights  were  very  dark  and  foggy  and  the  days 
also  were  attended  by  dense  fog  some  of  the  time.     Two 

120 


—      3 


iy  THE   FAR    WORTH  L21 

of  the  nights  in  particular,  were  so  dark  and  foggy  that 
we  anchored  for  a  short  time.  We  heard  the  dismal 
sound  of  the  fog-horn  every  three  minutes  and  you  could 
but  have  a  feeling  of  awe  and  trust  toward  the  All  Pow- 
erful Being  without  which  a  positive  fear  would  have 
possessed  you,  when  you  realized  how  dark  and  foggy 
the  night,  and  that  you  were  upon  the  mighty  deep. 

Then  also  we  had  so  watchful  and  efficient  a  cap- 
tain, as  well  as  first  officer,  that  we  felt  comparatively 
easy.  Captain  W.  never  left  his  post  of  duty,  but 
earnestly  watched  the  whole  night  long  on  those  dark 
and  foggy  nights. 

One  evening  I  stood  out  on  deck  and  looked  with 
interest  and  delight  upon  the  phosphorescent  wake  of 
the  ship  in  the  water,  brilliantly  contrasting  with  the 
deep  darkness  above  and  below. 

We  saw  several  schools  of  whales  and  one  day  we 
had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  one  of  those  great  water 
animals  not  far  from  the  ship  throw  a  fountain  of  water 
high  into  the  air  as  he  gave  forth  a  deep  breath. 

At  all  times  the  waters  were  beautiful  to  behold. 
When  rough  there  were  the  numberless  white  caps  that 
spread  over  the  surface  of  the  great  ocean  and  made  a 
pretty  fascinating  picture  as  they  were  tossed  hither 
and  thither  by  the  deep  swells  of  the  waves.  And  when 
the  sun  shone  bright  and  clear,  the  blue-green  of  the 
waters  changed  by  the  motion  of  the  vessel  into  a  pecu- 
liar light  Nile  green  that  was  so  lovely,  intermingled 
with  the  white  foam — and  much  like  the  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  from  what  I  have  heard  and 
read. 

On  Monday,  the  seventeenth  of  July,  we  were  near 
ing  our  destination.      In    the   early  part  of  the  day  we 
were  in  a  dense  fog,  which  was  lifted  and  al  twelve  the 


1 22  S  I '  V  8  //  /  N  '■'     I  v  l>  8 BAD E 

sun  was  shining  brightly  and  after  about  five  days  Bail- 
ing "lit  of  si^ht.  of  land,  we  now  came  in  sight  of  it. 

Soon  we  saw  land  on  either  side,  American  soil  on 
one  shore  and  ('anadian  on  the  other. 

Port  Townsend  later  came  in  view,  a  picturesquely 
located  town,  the  business  portion  of  which  lay  along 
the  water  front,  while  the  residences  extended  back 
upon  a  sloping  plateau  that  had  a  commanding  view  of 
Puget  Sound  and  the  surrounding  country.  Several 
beautiful  government  buildings  stand  out  in  prominence 
upon  the  highest  portion.  Port  Townsend  has  an 
especially  beautiful  harbor  with  water  of  enough 
depth  and  width  to  allow  the  largest  ocean  steamers  to 
land. 

And  now  indeed  we  felt  that  our  voyage  was  almost 
over.  And  upon  this  last  evening  the  sun  set  clear, 
soon  the  moon  cast  her  radiance  over  the  smooth  waters, 
so  calm  and  beautiful,  and  as  we  sailed  along  the  lights 
of  Seattle  came  into  sight. 

As  our  steamer  sailed  into  port,  we  all  stood  out  on 
deck  enjoying  the  bright  moonlight  reflected  on  the  wa- 
ters, and  the  pretty  view  of  the  city  twinkling  with  its 
electric  lights.  A  number  of  boats  were  upon  the  waters, 
and  from  one  large  steamer  came  sweet  strains  of  music, 
welcoming  the  returned  Klondykers. 

Left  alone  for  a  few  minutes  my  heart  welled  with 
thankfulness  to  God  that  we  had  been  spared  to  return 
from  so  long  and  perilous  a  journey,  and  one  which  had 
given  me  so  much  pleasure  and  knowledge. 

Ere  I  slept  that  night,  after  being  driven  to  the 
hotel,  I  wired  my  loved  ones  and  found  that  all  was  well 
at  home. 

And  now  that  the  facilities  of  travel  have  pro- 
gressed and  the  trip  can  be  made  entirely  by  steam  and 


IN  THE   FAB  NOB  Til  128 

rail,  many  tourists  will  undoubtedly  make  this  journey, 
though  a  summer  trip  will  not  give  them  all  the  pleas- 
ure to  be  enjoyed. 

In  conclusion  I  wish  to  again  express  the  pleasure 
that  this  trip  has  given  me,  and  to  state  that  the  hard- 
ships of  the  journey  and  the  trials  of  the  climate  were 
naught  compared  to  the  pleasure  and  delightful  experi- 
ences I  had.  I  sojourned  in  the  north  one  year,  though 
I  was  gone  from  my  home  eighteen  months — had  a 
most  delightful  trip  into  the  interior  of  Alaska  and  a 
more  charming  one  out  of  it — I  was  under  an  Arctic  sky 
during  the  four  seasons,  and  equally  enjoyed, 

"The  freshness,  the  flutter,  the  ripple  of  Spring 

And  Summer's  broad  glow  and  grave  Autumn  bedight 

In  his  tarnished  gold  russet,  then  bareness  and  white 

And  the  clasp  of  the  sweet  home  in  the  long  Winter's  night" 

Yet  of  all  the  beautiful  tilings  I  saw,  of  all  th« 
lovely  views  I  enjoyed,  of  all  the  delightful  knowledge 
I  have  obtained,  there  are  three  things  that  stand  out 
paramount  from  all  others,  and  in  the  years  that  come 
and  go,  there  are  three  visions  which  in  delight  shall  be 
most  often  recalled  and  they  are  the  gorgeous  sunsets 
of  an  Arctic  sky,  the  brilliant  Aurora  Borealis  of  the 
North,  and  Dutch  Harbor,  that  cyclorama  of  marvelous 
beauty  of  mountain,  of  sky,  and  sea. 


THE     END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   AT   LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


MR  2  4 1951 1 
ApR2  4195Tj 


ts» 


JAN  6 


Form  L-9-15m-2,'36 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

AT 

LOS  ANGELES 


C84g 

Craig- 

Gliirmses  of  snn- 

shine  and  shade. 

18.4 

F909 
C8V 


^      3  1158  01262  12 


raiiHniiiiiSiS LIBRARY  FACILITV 
AA    001  161020    1 


